Link through Time
by GroundZeroFirework
Summary: 15 - 19 years from the current storyline. Petra and Levi find a girl who claims to come 2000 years from the future. Just what connection does she have to the daughter they lost years ago? Crappy Summary. Obviously has some changes made. OC involved.
1. Prologue: Anomaly

AN: So…yeah…my first SnK fic. I know it sucks but please do not kill me. Made some alterations to it. Again please don't kill me. I still have a lot to do. I hope anyone who reads this enjoys this. So…yeah…bye.

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PROLOGUE:

ANOMALY

It was a normal day in the district of Karanese (1) in Wall Rose. There were no titans attacking as of late. People were going about their daily business. The Garrison are on the lookout for any approaching titans and the Scouting Legion is still waiting for any orders. But two particular members of the legion are enjoying their day off (2); Captain Levi and Petra Ral. The two were currently caring for their daughter, Celeste. After the attack of the female titan that claimed the lives of most of the members of the Spec Ops Squad and nearly killing Petra, Levi asked her to marry him. So they married and 9 months after that, Celeste was born.

"Captain, should we take her out on a walk?" Petra asked Levi as she handed Celeste to him.

"That's a good idea." He answered, emotionless as ever. All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door. Petra moved to answer it.

"Eren?"

"Get your gear, hide your dad and grab your kid. We got titans." He said in a hurry before leaving. In a flash, Levi and Petra got their gear. Levi grabbed Celeste and they ran out of the house. The Colossal Titan loomed of Karanese. It won't be long until the Armoured Titan comes.

"Damn them." Petra muttered as they ran. Every time they would go on an expedition for the past 3 months, they would leave Celeste in the care of Petra's father.

"We'd have to fight." Levi decided. Just then, they spotted Armin evacuating people. A loud explosion was heard and the Armoured Titan was inside Karanese. They knew they would have to hurry. Trainees and other Legion members were trying to take down the titans. They even spotted Eren in his Titan form, taking down every single titan that got in his way to the Armoured Titan. Mikasa was taking down titans to protect Eren. Hanji was having the time of her life zipping around with her 3DMG.

"Armin!" Petra yelled. Armin had a look of horror in his face.

"Captain! Look out!" He yelled. An abnormal titan jumped behind Levi, missing them by a couple of inches. Armin and Petra used their 3DMGs and took down the titan. When they thought all was well, a black portal opened from behind Levi and tried to take him in. He was able to activate his gear to anchor himself but with a price; he lost his hold on his daughter, who in turn was taken into the portal.

"CELESTE! NO!" Petra yelled and she tried to grab their child. But the portal closed. Levi could only stare in horror as he lost his child and his wife sobbed her heart out. But seconds later, they picked themselves up and did what they did best; kill every single titan that got in their way.

That day marked another victory for mankind. Bertholdt and Reiner chose a piss-poor time to attack. When the Legion took down the titans, night has fallen. Ergo, the titans became inactive. A day of Victory indeed. But for Humanity's strongest soldier and the person he loved, it was a day of mourning for them. After all, losing a child is the worst pain a person could experience. Not even Hanji, who was considered to be Humanity's smartest person and a brilliant scientist, could think of a way to find the anomaly.

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AN: So…yeah…that's pretty much the prologue. Love it or hate it, please tell me so I'll know if I'll either have to improve or delete this story. I know it sucks but if people get interested a bit, I'll try to improve it instead of deleting it. Yeah, ever since I finished my first story, Prom, I've been doing a piss-poor job of writing fics.

Here's what those numbers meant;

1 – I chose the Karanese district as the setting of chapter 1 because of the boulder in Trost.

2 – I'm not sure if the legionnaires have off days, same with the other divisions, but what the hell? In here, they do. Everyone's entitled to a day off, right?


	2. Chapter 1: Cassandra Knight

**AN: Awrighty, this new chapter is to introduce my OC for this story. So…yeah. Thanks to those who reviewed to chapter 1. I hope you guys enjoy this. This chapter is a freaking dead giveaway as to where in God's name Celeste went after the anomaly took her in. Her features will also be told since I forgot to put that in the Prologue and I am lazy as hell to edit. Again, please enjoy.**

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**CHAPTER I:**

**CASSANDRA KNIGHT**

**_Year 2024_**

In the year 2024, a 15 year old girl sits in her solar panelled hover car, competing in a racing circuit for the gold.

"And there goes 15 year old Cassandra Knight in the lead." A commentator announced. The strawberry blond haired girl with green eyes smirked as she jumped over a ramp, leaving her opponents in the dust. Her car didn't even gain a scratch. She drifted at the next turn, almost going over the race track. But that's okay; to her, that's the fun part.

"Cass, the Leap of Faith is coming up. You might want to ease up if you don't want something to happen to you." Her uncle said via radio.

"Not this time." Cassandra replied. The Leap of Faith is a ramp that goes upward with a gap to the other side. You go too slowly, you'd never get out of the ramp. You go too fast, you risk crashing once you get to its downward ramp. Most barely get past the Leap. It was called the Leap of Faith because you got to have faith in yourself to get through it. It is said to be the tallest and most dangerous ramp in the North Dakota circuit and possibly the whole world. Cassandra opted to go her fastest since this was going to be her last race before her hiatus anyways. She was launched upwards towards the sky before going downwards. She remembered how afraid she was of this ramp when she was 12 and how her father helped her through it.

"_Be brave, Cassandra."_

"_How can I be brave if I'm afraid?" She asked him._

"_You can't. All you have to do is to push the fear down and let courage replace that. With courage, you can do anything. And go anywhere. Especially in the world of racing." He answered._

That was the first race she won. She dominated the race tracks immediately after that, becoming renowned in 8 months. Once she touched the ground, Cassandra immediately gunned it. She drifted in some areas and jumped in some. She was unstoppable.

"Cassandra Knight is almost at the finish line! Nothing is stopping her! The pain of her parent's death is coming back with a vengeance!" The commentator yelled. Cassandra's adoptive parents recently died. One of the reasons for her going on a hiatus.

'I'm an orphan now. Might as well go and look for my real mom and dad.' She thought as she kept driving.

"Knight is almost at the finish line with Gardener in her heels." The commentator said. She didn't even realize that Lewis Gardener was behind her already.

"Gun it, Cass!" Her uncle yelled as she and Gardener entered a Magnetic Tunnel. The Magnetic Tunnel's name pretty much speaks for itself. Once you permit your car to do so, it would latch to the walls and the ceiling of the tunnel. Though most don't do it because they'd overshoot themselves and crash most of the time.

"With Pleasure." She answered and she stepped on the accelerator. Gardener started ramming her again and again, trying to force her to the walls.

"Getting real tired of your shit, Gardener." Cassandra muttered before she activated her car's magnets, enabling her to scale the entire tunnel. Once she was directly on top of Gardener's car, she dropped herself on him, forcing him to eject.

"Knight just dropped on Gardener! Unbelievable! This just ended his no eject streak!" The Commentator announced excitedly.

"Beauty of Modern Day Racing." Cassandra said.

"With a few more meters to go, nothing stands between Knight and the gold."

Cassandra made a turn and she crossed the finish line.

"And Cassandra Knight brings home the gold!" The commentator announced. Cassandra stopped the car and took heavy breaths. Opening the cockpit, she looked up. Hundreds of people were coming towards her. Her uncle hoisted her up on his shoulders as she waved at the people. Particularly the kids. She was the youngest winner of the North Dakota circuit and that would automatically gain her an invitation to the Grand Circuit but since she was going on hiatus, she announced that if she won, she would be passing it to her older cousin, Rex. Rex was good in the tracks but he was no match against Cassandra. But Cassandra knew that Rex could bring home the gold in the Grand Circuit and bring honour to the Knight family. Cassandra took off her helmet, signed it and gave it to a 6 year old girl with a mental illness, who was a pretty big fan of hers. She was brought over to the stage and the rewarding process was pretty fast; they hand her the trophy, smile, shake hands, pour champagne all over her, answer a couple of questions, eat and then she was gone. When Cassandra arrived at the Knight family mansion with her Uncle, she immediately took a shower and started packing up all her clothes in a single duffel bag.

"So, where are you going to go?" Her Uncle asked her. Damon Knight is the youngest brother of her father.

"I don't know. Find a clue somewhere I guess. Don't try to stop me." Cassandra replied as she put her watch on.

"I won't. I just want to talk. Will you sit with your Uncle for a minute?"

Cassandra sat down immediately, fixing her brown boots, white pants and her black dress shirt.

"I want you to sit here for a while and think about the family. Our history." Her Uncle said.

"You mean, YOUR history." She answered. The Knight family migrated from Italy during the Early 1900s and was pretty well known in the World of Racing as well as the Car Industry. Before Knight Automobiles was even established, the Knight family was already pretty rich, being a family of champion racers. As of now, there are only a couple of Knights left, all following the family legacy. Cassandra's Uncle, 53 year old Federico Knight, is a widower and the current CEO of Knight Automobiles. Uncle Federico never raced in his life, but rather focused on the company instead. He has 4 children; 23 year old Rex, Duncan, who is 19 and the 10 year old twins, Andrew and Andrea. His wife, Christina, died birthing Andrew and Andrea before Cassandra was even old enough to remember her. Thankfully, Uncle Federico never placed any blame. After Uncle Federico is Cassandra's dad, Raphael. Raphael, who was 5 years younger than Federico, was a champion racer but retired when he was 33 to raise Cassandra with his wife, Clara. Clara and Raphael, both 48 at the time, died a few months ago in a car accident. The two were unable to have children because Clara was barren so they considered Cassandra the greatest blessing they ever had. The youngest was Uncle Damon, who was 3 years younger than Raphael and 8 years younger than Uncle Federico. Now 45 years old, Uncle Damon is married with an 8 year old daughter, Janine. Uncle Damon handles the racing careers of the Knight children even after his brother passed on. Not only that, Uncle Damon is also a brilliant inventor. His wife, Natalie, was Cassandra's pillar of support when her parents died.

"No. I mean OUR history. Adopted or not, you're a Knight. Look at you; you're good at racing. You kept the company alive whenever it had a crisis. You have the Knight spirit in you. Adopted or not, you've proven yourself to be a true Knight. I get that you're downright furious because of your mom and dad's death but they're always going to be here." Damon explained as he pointed to her heart. His blue eyes clearly showed sadness while his black hair was starting to have trails of gray in them.

"As long as they are there, you're never alone. And I'll tell you that wherever they are, you can bet your ass they're proud of you the same way we're proud of you. During this journey you go through, I hope you create bonds and bring down the walls you brought up. If you want to come back, that door is always going to be open for you. Whether you find your real parents or not, it'll always be open for you. Because you're a Knight and you always will be. I love you, kid."

Uncle Damon immediately hugged her tightly.

"I love you too, Uncle."

When they separated, she grabbed her jacket, bag and secured the watch in her wrist. The watch was Uncle Damon's invention. It was a freaking weapon. She can harness the power of fire and ice with it as well as shoot people with it. It was a normal sized watch so the features are easily concealed but if you turn the watch face once, it'll feature its fire power. Turn the face watch twice, it'll feature its ice power. Turn it three times, it'll turn into its gun mode. To use elemental features, it depends on the user's mental capacity and will to how powerful it will go. Problem is it's very taxing to the human mind and the body. To use its gun mode, all you have to do is pull back the watch face to release the bullets. How her uncle made it? She has no idea.

"Cassandra." A small voice said behind her. She turned around and saw Janine, Andrew and Andrea there.

"Yeah?"

"Where will you go?" Andrew asked.

"Somewhere." She answered.

"Can we come with you?" Andrea asked her.

"No. No. Not this time." She answered as she approached them. Cassandra kneeled before them and took their little hands in her own.

"Listen, guys. Someday, your parents are going to say something about me. About who I really am. Look, I just hope…that you guys won't look at me any different than you do now." Cassandra said. It was the three youngest who were kept in the dark of who Cassandra really is.

"We won't." Janine said. The three children engulfed her in a hug immediately. When they separated, Cassandra walked out of the house. She loaded her things into her solar panelled SUV (how they managed to hide said panels, she has no idea) when her Uncle Frederick, Aunt Natalie and Rex approached her.

"So, you're really leaving?" Her Uncle Federico asked her. She turned around. His aging features clearly showed anguish. His black hair turned gray out of the stressful anticipation of this moment and his blue eyes had tears behind his glasses. His children all inherited his eyes but had their mother's brown hair. Rex was a splitting image of him while Duncan, Andrew and Andrea inherited more of their mother's facial feature.

"I have to." Cassandra answered.

"No, you don't. Cass, please. Think of the kids. Think of us. Think of Duncan. He loves you. Do you really want him to come back to a house without you?" Aunt Natalie tried to argue. So much like her daughter, Janine, Aunt Natalie had the red hair and pretty face that Janine inherited. The blue eyes, of course, came from her dad.

"Duncan knew I'd leave someday. He'd just have to face the reality of it." Cassandra answered.

"Let her go, Aunt." Rex said. They said their goodbyes and had their hugs and kisses.

"Come back every once in a while, alright?" Rex requested.

"Take care. Bring the gold home on the Grand Circuit, alright?" Cassandra requested. Rex chuckled.

"No one can match up to you. But I'll do my best. Come back, alright." He said. She simply nodded in reply before getting in the car. She drove away and didn't look back. She couldn't bear to take her race car. It was her dad's last gift to her after all. As she drove, she passed by the woods where her parents found her in. Out of pure curiosity, Cassandra drove to the entrance. She was 12 meters away from the entrance when she felt something pulling at her car.

"What the hell?" She muttered and she brightened the headlights. When they were brightened, she barely saw any trees. Just perpetual blackness. Cassandra felt it pulling at her car. It was like a portal that was sucking her in.

"Oh shit! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! Whoa, I haven't cussed that much before." She said. Cassandra tried to get some traction to pull away from the portal but it sucked her in. Within seconds, she was thrown out of the portal but instead of it being night, it was daytime.

"OH FUCK!" Cassandra yelled as she turned to avoid hitting a tree. Unfortunately, when she slammed on the brakes, she hit her head on the wheel and knocked herself out.

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**AN: And that is Chapter I. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter. If you guys were able to put two and two together, you'll figure out who Cassandra Knight really is. Yeah, yeah, this is a piss poor chapter. No promises this'll improve. Thanks to those who reviewed.**


	3. Chapter 2: Her Arrival

**AN: Okay, here we are at Chapter II! Well, technically III but whatever. Thanks to those who reviewed to the previous chapters. If you flame me, I will hunt you down and I will kill you. Nah, just kidding but let's see if I give a shit. Anyhow, here is the chapter where Cassandra's path will cross with the Scouting Legion. I hope you people enjoy this chapter.**

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**CHAPTER III:**

**HER ARRIVAL**

The same day Cassandra Knight was sucked in the anomaly, the Spec Ops Squad members were enjoying their day off. Ever since the attack of the female titan that killed off every member of the squad except for Petra, Levi and Eren, only 2 members were assigned to them; Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert. The members were just hanging around the fields outside Trost, drinking coffee and eating food.

"So, how's Captain Levi doing?" Armin asked Petra. The older woman hasn't really changed a bit. Just a few scars here and there from the years of fighting.

"He's doing fine." Petra answered a bit sadly. Honestly, that was bullshit. Levi is not fine. When they lost Celeste, Levi became even colder than he already is. He would lock himself in his office, doing paperwork. Always pushing them to train harder. Scaring the shit out of the new recruits. He barely talks to anyone. It was like he was trying to push them away. Levi was staring at something far away. Like something was so fascinating in that direction. Everyone who knew Levi was worried for him. Hanji, Commander Irvin, Eren, Petra. Hell, even Mikasa, Armin and their friends from the 104th worry. Levi just isn't the same since they lost Celeste 15 years ago. And as much as Petra loved Levi, each day became harder and harder with the lack of communication between them (1).

"Mind if we join you?" A new voice said. They all looked up and saw Hanji and Commander Irvin.

"No. Join us, please." Petra answered. The two sat down beside them. It was rare for the Commander to be away from paperwork.

"He's still not over it, is he?" Irvin asked as he looked on at Levi.

"How can he?" Hanji answered for Petra. All of a sudden, they heard a loud howling sound. Levi looked up and they all saw it; an anomaly. It was bigger than the one that took Celeste. In an instant, Levi was up on his feet and on his horse, galloping towards the direction of the anomaly. The others followed him immediately.

"Captain!" Eren yelled after him. They entered the woods and not far from the entrance, they saw it; some metallic box with wheels on it. It was pretty obvious that it came from the anomaly. Levi got off his horse and cautiously approached it. Just as he was about to touch it, he heard Hanji yelling excitedly like the insane scientist she is.

"DAMN IT, HANJI!" Levi yelled at her but she paid him no heed. Rather approaching the thing.

"DID IT COME FROM THE ANOMALY? THIS IS INCREDIBLE!" She blabbered on. Then she touched it.

"It's made of some sort of metal! This could be beneficial to my research! This-"

They were all surprised when she stopped yelling.

"Major (2) Hanji, what's wrong?" Armin asked worriedly.

"There's someone inside." She answered, calmly this time. Hanji pulled at the handle and it opened like a door. They were shocked at the sight of a sleeping girl with strawberry blonde hair. There was blood all over the right side of her face.

"Help me! She's alive but injured." Hanji told them.

Eren and Armin pulled the girl out and laid her on the ground. What freaked them all out was how much she looked like a younger Petra.

"We have to get her back. Or she might bleed out." Hanji declared.

"Take her back to the former Scouting Legion HQ." Irvin ordered.

"Ackerman, Petra, take her back with you." Levi decided. "Hanji, you better do something about this thing before the Military Police finds it."

"The branches. Cover it with the branches." Armin suggested and they were able to hide it with every single leaf and branch they could find while Mikasa and Petra took the girl back to the former HQ.

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**AN: Short. Piss poor. Sucks. I know but if I kept going at it, this chapter's gonna get way too long. I apologize if this sucked so bad. It's very hard to portray Hanji…**

**Here's what those numbers mean:**

**1 – I'm not sure if that was so OOC of Levi but I can imagine that happening if he lost a loved one. Especially if it's his child.**

**2 – In the website where I watch Shingeki no Kyojin, the subs keep referring to Hanji as Major so I thought I'd just use that.**


	4. Chapter 3: Titan Attack and a Tribune

**AN: Here is the next chapter! As compensation for the previous chapter that was short, I decided to make this thing long as hell. Thank you so much to those who reviewed. I didn't know I still had it in me. I hope y'all enjoy this! **

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**CHAPTER III:**

**TITAN ATTACK AND A TRIBUNAL**

Hours later, Cassandra woke up with the weirdest and most painful headache she has ever experienced. Not even the headaches that came whenever she crashed came close to this one. She realized she was in a soft bed somewhere but she had no idea where she was. The only thing that illuminated the room was a torch. Cassandra painfully sat up with a groan.

"Oh God. If I ever got myself in a situation akin to Corpse Party, I'm shooting myself." She decided. That game must've been 12 years before her time (that was only the remake, the original was released 26 years ago in her time), but she has a thing for vintage games (1). Cassandra perked up as she heard someone opening the door. She turned the face of her watch three times and pointed it at the door. When the door opened, a tall man with blonde hair entered. He seemed safe enough so Cassandra put her arm down.

"Good to see you're awake." He said but Cassandra stayed silent.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you. I'm Commander Irvin Smith of the Scouting Legion." The blonde man said.

"Where I come from, the other person usually introduces herself." The Commander quipped.

"Oh, I'm Cassandra Knight." She answered emotionlessly as she touched the bandage on her head. Irvin frowned at the girl; it was bad enough that the girl looked like Petra but for her to be talking like Levi? Hell is going to break loose if what he's suspecting is right. Not that he didn't want them reunited, but at how Levi would take it.

"Tell me then, Cassandra, do you know where you are? Or even how you got here?" He asked her.

"I-I do remember a portal. Black. Took me in all of a sudden."

"I see. Well, you're in the former Scouting Legion HQ in Wall Rose. The year is 866."

866? Did Cassandra hear him right? Or did she get a really bad head trauma that affected her hearing?

"I'm sorry but 866?" She asked and he nodded.

"Eight hundred-fucking-sixty-six? Son of a bitch, that thing took me back to the past!" She yelled.

'And she curses like Levi, too (2). Joy.' Irvin thought. Regardless, he cannot let the others know of his suspicions, but something tells him they're suspecting something too.

"Wait, past? What year are you from?" He asked.

"I'm from the year 2024! That's 2000 years from now." Cassandra answered. His face was enough to let her know that he didn't believe her.

"You don't believe me. Look at this, then." She said and Cassandra threw the phone that she had with her.

"Check the year stamp." Cassandra suggested. After a few minutes, Irvin walked past her.

"Come with me." He ordered. Cassandra followed him to the stables and they rode towards Trost. Erwin took the newcomer to the top of Wall Rose.

"Walk with me, Knight. So, how did you come by the portal?" The Commander asked her as they walked. Cassandra walked behind him with her arms crossed. It was almost 2 PM so it was very hot.

"Well, I left home."

"Why?"

She hesitated before answering.

"I was adopted. Parents died a couple of months back. I left the family, not because they treated me bad, it was actually the opposite. I left to find my real parents. Don't know why. Just felt like I had to. To get some answers; like why did they leave me or something? Anything." She answered. Irvin stopped and looked at her.

"You're adopted?"

"Yeah? Why? Is that so…weird?" She asked him. Irvin shook his head and continued walking.

"In your time, what's become of humanity? The Titans and the Walls?" Commander Irvin asked her. Cassandra had no idea what the Titans were but decided to indulge him.

"Humanity is…prosperous in my time. We don't have these things in my time. Or Titans, whatever they are in this time." Cassandra answered. The only titans she knew are from Mythology.

"It's strange, to be honest. That after 15 years, something like that would happen again." He said as he stopped walking. They both observed the people of Trost go about their daily activities.

"You mean…that wasn't the first time?" She asked him.

"No. 15 years ago, it happened. It took the daughter of one of my trusted men. Needless to say, he took it hard." He answered.

"That must've been painful." Cassandra said, suddenly remembering her parents. They continued walking until she spoke up.

"Excuse me, Commander, sir, but really; where are we? What is this place? I've never read about a place like this before."

"You're at The Walls."

"I kinda get that, but what are they in general? And what are the Titans?" She asked as she donned her aviator glasses. Cassandra was smart, yes, but she never really read too much books. She preferred to be playing her vintage games, going to Virtual Reality with her cousins or racing. Since she didn't read much, she obviously has no idea if this even existed or if she even read about it.

"Titans are these giant beings that eat humans for no apparent reason. They don't eat because of hunger. Just pointless eating. The Walls were made to keep them out. There are three of them; the one we're at is Wall Rose. There are several districts to each Wall. The Wall over there; past all those lands, is Wall Maria. It was breached by Titans 20 years ago, so some people here come from Wall Maria. Beyond Wall Rose is Wall Sina. We're working on retaking Wall Maria but progress has not been good."

"Let me guess; heavy casualties? Forced retreat? Too many men getting eaten by those Titans?"

"Yes, yes and yes." Irvin answered her. "You know, I can sense a lot of fighting spirit in you, kid. You could be an asset to us if you want."

"I don't even know how you fight those things and you think I can be an asset already." She said stoically. Just then, she saw a blonde haired girl running towards them. Cassandra immediately took the glasses off to get a better look at her.

"Whoa." She muttered, enchanted by the girl's beauty. Hell, she was willing to bet even girls go lesbian for her.

"She's a fucking Goddess." Cassandra muttered.

"Private Reiss (3), what is it?" Commander Irvin asked her.

"Sir, the Military Police are calling for a tribunal. Something to do with the anomaly." She answered. Cassandra was looking over the wall beside the blonde girl when she saw a weird crawling giant thing.

'This better not be a fucking spider.' She thought. It looked up at her and saw a human face.

"It's worse." She decided. "Uh…Commander, there's something down there."

All of a sudden, it looked at her and jump. Good thing for her reflexes, she was able to dodge it and accidentally pushed the girl down.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" She yelled.

"Get out of here, now!" The Commander told them. When they were able to stand up, the thing jumped again, entering the town. Other people were starting approach them.

"Wait, where's the blonde girl?" Cassandra asked herself. When she heard a yell, she saw the girl dangling over the side of the wall.

"My gear's jammed! Help!" She yelled. And she slipped. Cassandra turned her watch face two times. Praying it would work, she was able to summon ice. She was able to create a slide. All she would have to do is keep her focus and beat her to the ground. She slid down like she was snowboarding and when she saw the girl, she held her arms out. Cassandra caught the girl when she felt a spike of pain on her arms.

"How are you doing this?" She asked as they stopped.

"With great difficulty." Cassandra answered. They saw a bunch of people taking down the titan. She felt dizzy from the amount of ice she forced herself to summon.

"What is that?" She asked the girl.

"An Aberrant Titan. I'm Historia Reiss. Thanks for saving me." The blonde girl said.

"Cassandra Knight. You're welcome."

"How did you do that? With Magic?" The girl, Historia, asked her.

"Science. But I guess it's a little bit of both." Cassandra answered as she sat down on the ground, rubbing her eyes. She was starting to get sleepy. Her head wound wasn't helping either. Commander Irvin swooped down in front of them all of a sudden.

"Private Reiss, what does the Military Police know about the Anomaly?" Irvin asked her.

"They suspect she came from it, sir. They saw that metallic thing. A few Military Police members also saw Mikasa taking her back to the former Scouting Legion HQ, sir. They-they want her, sir, chained and bound. Just like Eren before her. And I doubt that thing wouldn't help her, sir. The Tribune would start in 2 hours, sir." Historia answered.

"Then we ride to Wall Sina, then." Irvin decided. "Cassandra, come with me."

They both went back to the horses they took from the stables and they rode to Wall Sina. They arrived there just in time for the tribune (4).

"Whatever you do, do not fight back. This would decide what the court would do to you. You could be killed by the Military Police if you do something unpleasant." Irvin told her. She nodded and two people from the Military Police took her. They cuffed her up and took her to the courtroom. Cassandra was surprised by how big the room is. They took her to the middle of the room.

"Kneel there."

She kneeled and they felt them put a bar behind her. The trial started and she barely paid any attention to the proceedings. She thought about the fact that she could be killed.

'This is why I hate politics. They see something they don't like, they immediately do something to silence them.' She thought.

"I would like to ask the person in question for her age." The old man, Dallis Zacklay, asked her.

"15, sir." Cassandra answered.

"15 or not, this girl could be a danger. She came from the anomaly didn't she?" The head of the Military Police, Nile Dawk, as she heard his name was, said. Something snapped in Cassandra when he said that.

"Enlighten me. I've only been here for – what – 6 hours? What the hell did I do that says I'm a danger? Fucking enlighten me then." Cassandra said.

"She summoned ice (5) from nowhere. I saw it with my own eyes!" Another man said. He didn't seem to have come from the Military Police but rather just a normal citizen.

"I'd like to weigh in on that. While it is true that Cassandra Knight summoned ice spontaneously, she did so to save a member of the Scouting Legion, Historia Reiss. Otherwise known as Christa Renz." Commander Irvin said. That caused uproar in the courtroom. Zacklay started banging on the table.

"Is Historia Reiss here?"

"Yes."

"Is it true that the girl saved you using ice?" Zacklay asked her.

"Yes, she did." Historia answered. Another uproar happened.

"Kill her! She came from that anomaly, right? Kill her now before she endangers us all!" Someone yelled.

"Sir, with all due respect! The girl could be an asset to the Scouting Legion! Put her in the training program and when she's done, let her come with us!" Commander Irvin said.

"Kill her now!" Another one yelled. Cassandra closed her ice and used her ice to make a sculpture of the Scouting Legion emblem. Everyone stood in awe.

"Still think I'm a danger, you fucking prick?" She asked Nile. He gave the order to point a rifle at her. She glared at the gun and a block of ice blocked the exit hole of the gun. When she was done, she felt a fist hit her.

'Jesus H. Christ. What the hell?' She questioned but she felt another hit in her face. A kick to her stomach and her face. She was forced back to the pole and she was punched again and again and again. She saw a black haired short guy hitting her. Cassandra spat out blood from her mouth. Her head was throbbing. She already had a head wound and now she's getting more. She just cannot catch a break, can she?

"Don't tell me? He's showing that only the Legion can control her? Just like what he did to Jaeger?" Cassandra heard someone say. Levi hit her again and again. The moment he saw the girl, he hated her. He hated how she looked like his wife. Hated the fact that she could possibly the daughter he failed to protect. Hated that the resemblance showed not only in her looks but the way she talked as well.

"Captain, stop! You'll kill her!" Levi heard Eren yell. When Levi stepped aside, Cassandra's control of her ice waned and the ice sculpture and the ice blocking the gun melted.

"Let the Legion have her. We can control her. It seems that that thing she's doing is heightened by her anger. But if we pacify her, she won't be a danger to anyone. But what she does; it could aid us in defeating the titans and maybe she could help us retake Wall Maria." Commander Irvin said. Zackley contemplated this for a while and he nodded.

"Very well. Cassandra Knight will go through the training program for three years. And then, immediately after that, she goes to the Scouting Legion. To the Spec Ops Squad, to be specific." Zackley decided. Cassandra passed out after that. But there was also a question she asked herself…

How did a mission to find her real parents brought her to a situation like this?

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**AN: You can see that the effort went away towards the end. I hope you guys still enjoyed this chapter. Like I promised it's long. It's 2 AM here in the Philippines. Going to bed but before that, here's what those numbers mean.**

**1 – Yes, Cassandra has a thing for vintage games. Super Mario, the first Final Fantasy games, Legend of Zelda and all that jazz. You name it, Cassandra Knight owns it and finished it.**

**2 – Alright, while Cassandra looks like a green eyed Petra (we should all know she's their daughter by then and I have no idea what Levi's eye colour is but I think it's green), she acts and talks like Levi sometimes. She has Petra's social graces but when she cusses, she cusses like Levi.**

**3 – At this point, let's just say that Christa was already saved from Ymir and now goes by her real name.**

**4 – I have no idea how long it would take to ride from Wall Rose to Wall Sina.**

**5 – I have no idea if they've seen ice before but they have snow don't they?**

**Again, I hope you guys enjoyed this Chapter I served.**


	5. Chapter 4: Before the Departure

**AN: Chapter IV is here! Okay so I watched Episode 20 today and I just have to say, I am so pissed at that Female Titan. It makes me want to go in there and rip her limbs off one by one. Kudos to those who knows who the Female Titan is by the way! Thanks to those who reviewed. Anyways, here is Chapter IV! Please enjoy.**

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**CHAPTER IV:**

**BEFORE THE DEPARTURE**

Cassandra woke up in a room hours after the tribune. Her wounds stung despite the fact that they've obviously been cleaned. The door opened and she saw a Strawberry Blonde woman enter the room. When Cassandra saw the woman, the anger she felt disappeared.

'And here I was, ready to pound that Shorty of a Captain whom I could've sworn pulverized my ribs.' Cassandra thought.

"Hi. I'm Petra Ral." The woman spoke as she approached. Cassandra felt that the woman in front of her had a motherly aura all over her. There's a tugging feeling in her heart that said this woman was familiar to her. But she just couldn't place how.

"I'm Cassandra Knight. In case you haven't heard but I doubt that." She answered as she tried to sit up more. That brought a wave of pain to her ribs. Petra held the girl down.

"Commander Irvin's already told us all about you, Cassandra. Try not to move too much. Oh, by the way, this fell out of your pocket when we were moving you here." Petra told her as she handed Cassandra her aviator glasses. The girl took it from her immediately.

"Thanks. This was my dad's, so it's pretty important." She answered. Petra winced on the inside. If her suspicions are right and this girl is Celeste, would she be able to forgive them? For failing to protect her? Petra saw the look on Levi's face earlier. It was full of sadness, hate and anger. It nearly killed her to not be able to do anything to help the girl. Before she came to the room, she and Levi had an argument. She finally voiced out her frustrations and the possibility that the girl could be Celeste. Levi kept denying it and told her that Celeste was dead. That resulted in Petra walking out of the room.

"Ma'am, you alright?" Petra heard Cassandra ask her.

"Yes. I'm fine." She answered.

"Are you sure? Because last I checked, no one cries when they're fine." Cassandra quipped. She decided then and there; people from the past are weird.

"Oh, I'm sorry. This is nothing." Petra told her as she wiped her tears away. She hadn't even realized she was crying.

"How are you?" Petra asked her.

"In pain. That Captain of yours is an asshole." Cassandra said. Petra saw a similarity there. A similarity with her husband.

"Please don't think badly of my husband. He did it to save you. So that the court will rule in favour of the Legion." She said.

"Wait, what? Your Captain is also your husband? And I kinda get that he did it to save me but did he have to beat me up so hard?" Cassandra asked. Petra chuckled at the girl in front of her.

"It's kind of a long story of how we married. As for why he beat you up that bad, I guess that's just how he is."

"An asshole? Captain Shorty's always been an asshole?" Cassandra asked as she got out of bed. Petra helped her up and gave her a cup of water.

"Thank you." She said as she drank the water. "Miss Ral, what did the verdict about me say?"

"Call me, Petra. The verdict said that you'd have to go through the Training program for 3 years. After that, you'll come back here. You'll be serving under Captain Shorty. Otherwise known as Captain Levi." Petra explained. Cassandra choked on the water she was drinking.

"I'm sorry but 3 fucking years? You mean I can't go home to my family or back in my time? When I come back here or there, I'll be 18." She said.

"You can't. We haven't spotted any anomalies yet that could bring you home. But for now, this is the best way we could think of to prevent the Military Police from killing you." Petra answered. The girl in front of her was so much like her in looks but so much like Levi in the frown and the way she curses. Something inside her just told her that this girl is her daughter but without any proof, she probably wouldn't believe Petra.

"You'll be leaving in the morning so I suggested you get some rest." Petra said. Cassandra watched her leave. All of a sudden, she wanted that motherly aura that Petra emitted back. She shook her head.

"Shit, Cass. Get your fucking head in the game." Cassandra muttered to herself. "I got to find my car."

With that decided, Cassandra opened the window and used her watch to create an ice slide. When she got to the ground, she immediately stood up and grabbed her phone. If her car's GPS is on, it would be easier to find. If not, then this'll be a scavenger hunt in the dark. Or maybe not since she has a flashlight in her pocket.

"Please be turned on." She said. After a while, a blue blip appeared on her phone, about North West from her current position.

"Yes."

Cassandra ran towards her car with her flashlight. Thank God she's a fast runner. It was already night time and she had to be back before the next morning. She can make up an excuse on the spot as to how her stuff mysteriously appeared in her room. Cassandra kept running and running. Being a racer demanded that she keep herself fit and strong. So, she learned how to fight. And sometimes Cassandra exercised when she wasn't in the mood to play games or race. In fact, her life just revolved around 3 things back in her time; racing, exercising and gaming. She barely studied anyways. Cassandra could swear that she's starting to have a 2 pack. Finally, Cassandra arrived at her car. It was pretty much undamaged. She opened the car door and grabbed her duffel bag that held all her clothes and lifted the back seat. The back seat doubles as a gun case. With a shotgun, a pistol and a machine gun. Cassandra grabbed her pistol and put an entire round in it.

"Well, well, fancy seeing you here." A voice behind Cassandra said. Cassandra turned around and pointed her gun at the woman. She saw a bespectacled woman with brown hair.

"Whoa, relax, kid. I just want to know what's in there. I'm Hanji Zoe. I found you in there." The woman told her. Cassandra put her gun down immediately.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"To study whatever the hell that thing is. I'm a scientist by the way and I've been studying the anomaly for 15 years." Hanji said. Cassandra realized that there was no way she could let this science chick touch her stuff. Any object from the future that comes in contact with someone from the past could drastically change the timeline. Cassandra turned around and put things back to normal and locked the doors.

"I can't let you touch those things." She decided. Hanji pouted at the girl.

"Why not?" She asked.

"Long story." Cassandra replied emotionlessly.

"I got time. Please indulge me!" Hanji begged her as she clung to the younger girl's arm.

"Alright, alright, you crazy science lady." She answered. Cassandra explained some severe repercussions that could happen if someone from the past came into contact to an object from the future. Like a paradox of some sort.

"Ergo, if something from the future comes into contact with a person from the past, for example a gun like this and someone from the Military Police, it could affect the overall future. It could be good, it could be bad, I don't know, but I ain't willing to take that kind of risk." She explained to Hanji, who looked at her with fascination. They were seated at a rock near the car.

"Can you give an example of a bad result?" Hanji requested. Cassandra chuckled and nodded.

"Well, going back to that example I used. Since someone from the past used something from the future, something 2000 years from the future I might add, mankind could keep developing and developing deadlier weapons. It could be beneficial; it could be the other way around. Worst and the most likely scenario is genocide due to advanced technology."

Hanji still kept staring at Cassandra with fascination.

"That's awesome." She said. Cassandra gave her a questioning look.

'It's official. This chick is insane.' She thought. Shaking her head, Cassandra stood up.

"We should go back. Before Captain Prick decides to commit child abuse again." She said. Cassandra didn't really like that Captain. She couldn't believe that a nice woman like Petra was actually married to a guy like that.

"Don't think badly of the man. When he lost his daughter, his whole world practically fell apart." Hanji said as they walked back to the HQ. It didn't take long before Cassandra put two and two together.

"That was him? The child that was lost to the anomaly 15 years ago was Captain Shorty and Miss Petra's daughter?" She asked and Hanji nodded.

"He was holding her at the time. A titan attacked. When it was killed, an anomaly opened up and he accidentally let go of her. Levi and Petra don't really like to talk about it and I think that created a rift between them. Not because of blame but because of the lack of communication. Okay, maybe Levi blames himself, I'm not really sure anymore. Point is Levi is a bit bitter because of that. I mean, Celeste and Petra meant the world to him. When they lost Celeste, I guess half of that world just died."

"I guess I'd feel a bit bitter too if I lost my daughter on my watch." Cassandra answered as they were nearing the HQ.

"You know, you're kind of like them. You look a lot like Petra. Except your eyes are green like Levi's. From what I heard, you curse like him too." Hanji pointed out. Cassandra looked at her but continued walking. This chick couldn't be possibly implying that she could be Celeste, right?

'Nah, probably not.' Cassandra thought as they walked. Finally they arrived under Cassandra's window, which was left open. Meaning that no one came in. At least that's what she hoped.

"Well, I'll be going now. Good Luck on your training." Hanji told her cheerfully.

"Thanks." She replied. She made an ice ladder and climbed up the window. Cassandra stuffed her things under the bed, grabbed her earphones and went to sleep.

**The next day**

Petra went inside the room where Cassandra stayed in. She quietly entered and saw the girl sleeping soundly. With a wired item lodged in her ears, leading to her pocket. Petra sat on the bed and watched her sleep. Cassandra shifted and one of those things in her ears fell off. Out of curiosity, Petra put it in her ear. She heard a loud sound coming from it so she took it off immediately.

'How does she sleep with those things and still have perfect hearing?' She asked herself mentally. Petra looked at Cassandra's face again. She remembered Celeste all of a sudden. Celeste slept exactly the same way Cassandra did; with their mouths hanging open a bit. But Celeste didn't drool like Cassandra is drooling now, obviously. Cassandra seemed to have sense that she was drooling because she unconsciously wiped it away and faced Petra once again. Petra ran her fingers through Cassandra's blonde hair. She had no idea why but she just felt like she had to, the same way a mother would do to her child. Cassandra's eyes opened a bit.

"Mom?" She asked. Petra's eyes widened immediately. Cassandra's eyes gradually widened.

"Miss Petra? Did I just call you mom? Oh shit. I am so sorry." Cassandra said.

"No, it's okay. I just came to tell you that you can take a shower across the hall and you can have some breakfast downstairs. I hope you like coffee." Petra said with a radiant smile. Cassandra sat up as she rubbed her eyes.

"I can't have coffee. I'm good with water, Miss Petra." Cassandra answered. Petra giggled at the way the girl's hair stuck out. It was pointing everywhere. Almost like a chicken attacked it in her sleep. She also noticed that she was still wearing her clothes from last night; black but the blood stains from her wounds were obvious. Kid must've been tired from everything she went through.

"Oh, health problems?" Petra asked her worriedly.

"Not exactly but coffee makes me way more paranoid than I already am. I don't know if that's classified as a health problem." She answered. Petra stood up yet again.

"Commander Irvin will take you the training area when you're ready." Petra said before leaving the room. Seeing no other choice, Cassandra just got some clothes and took a bath before having breakfast. Since she wasn't allowed to have coffee, she just had some water. Later on, she met up with Commander Irvin and they rode to the training area. Commander Irvin left her there after that, with the assurance that someone will check on her every week.

And that was the day that Cassandra Knight was inducted into the 109th trainees squad (1).

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**AN: I hope I made you guys happy. You can see that the effort was going away. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it. After this chapter, a time skip will happen.**

**And now, here's what the number means.**

**1 – Yeah, I do a piss poor job at mental math so I asked my father and brother to do it for me. As far as I know is that a new training squad only comes after 3 years. Cassandra's trainee's squad is like…15 years after Eren's. When my bro and dad did that math, they said that if that's the case, then Cassandra's squad would be the 109****th****. Please correct me if I'm wrong or something. **

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Thanks to those who would review.**


	6. Chapter 5: 3 years later

**AN: Here is Chapter V! Thanks to those who reviewed to the previous chapters. I'm trying to update as fast as I could before more projects arrive. Being a high school senior is very taxing. By the way, I have no idea how many chapters I can post before the weekend because I will be taking a vacation in Boracay. Our plane leaves Saturday and I won't be back until…like…what…Tuesday or Wednesday next week. I'll try to post as much as I could. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Like I said there will be a timeskip. **

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**CHAPTER V:**

**3 YEARS LATER**

3 years later, 18 year old Cassandra was riding back to the former Legion HQ with Instructor Shadis, wearing her new Scouting Legion uniform. She graduated with the rank of 3rd with the 109th. For some reason, she found all subjects as a piece of cake. Cassandra had a bit of difficulty with the 3DMG but she got the hang of it in 30 minutes. With that said, her grad rank was 3. But as agreed 3 years earlier, she would have to join the Scouting Legion. Not a day went by when Cassandra never missed her family or racing. To quell the sadness, she would look at the pictures in her wallet. Rex and Duncan were the ones she missed the most since she grew up with them.

'I miss you guys. I wonder if you're worried about me.' Cassandra thought as she looked at a picture of the whole family when she was 14. Just before her parents died. Like Irvin promised her, someone came to check up on her every week. Sometimes it would be Irvin, sometimes that Crazy Science Chick named Hanji. Other times, it would be the lady with the red scarf named Mikasa, other times, it would be the Titan Shifter Eren (Cassandra could swear to God there's something beyond a sibling relationship with those two). One time, it was that blonde strategist named Armin (who she mistook for a girl once). The one who visited most was Miss Petra. The one who never visited was Captain Asshole.

"We're here." She heard Instructor Shadis say. Cassandra looked up and realized that they were in the former Scouting Legion HQ. It hasn't really changed the last time she was around.

"Hey, it's Cassandra!"

Cassandra turned around and saw Hanji waving at her. She waved back immediately. Hanji ran up to her and took her hand.

"Thank you, Instructor. I'll take her off your hands now." Hanji told Shadis, who in turn just rode back to the training base.

"Well, then let's get this horse to the stables now." Hanji said and they went to the stables.

"So, what did you name her?" Hanji asked Cassandra.

"Clara." Cassandra answered as she led Clara inside. "It was my mother's name."

Hanji peppered her with questions as they walked back inside the HQ.

"So, did you make any friends during your training?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Everyone thinks I'm a freak. The only human contact I got there was getting punched by one of the boys or the hand to hand training. Not to mention the fact that I'm too smart for some of them because I come from a different time. Bastard who punched me caused my nose to bleed." She answered emotionlessly. They reached the door and Hanji opened it.

"Look who just graduated after 3 years." Hanji announced as she dragged Cassandra in by the hood.

"It's Cassandra! Break out the liquor!" She announced.

'Why am I not surprised?' Cassandra thought to herself. Somehow, she knew that Hanji would use her as an excuse to break out the liquor.

"You guys have your fun. I'll go unwind upstairs or something." Cassandra said as she headed upstairs with her stuff. Petra watched the girl walk away, with a frown like Levi's. She decided to follow Cassandra so she stood up and headed upstairs. The girl was obviously trying to find her old room.

"Having trouble?" Petra asked. Cassandra slowly turned around and saw Petra standing by the stairs.

"Not really. Just looking for the room where you kept me. I really want to get some sleep."

"It's over there. 3rd door to the left" Petra pointed down the hall with a small smile. Cassandra smiled at her and headed in that direction. When she opened the door, the room was empty and pretty much clean. Too clean, actually.

"What kind of clean freak went through this room?" She muttered.

"My husband, actually." Petra said from behind her. Cassandra put her things on the bed and plopped there.

"Wow, you mean he cleans this entire place?" She asked.

"You can say that." Petra said as she sat on the bed. Petra ran her fingers over the scar on Cassandra's forehead. The one by her left eyebrow.

"Where did you get this?" She asked.

"That? Faulty equipment. You know that part where you have to keep yourself upright? Yeah, I did it for 5 seconds before kissing the ground. Turns out my belt's busted or some shit like that."

"That happened to Eren once too." She answered as she ran her fingers at Cassandra's scar. For some reason, it pained her to see that scar. To see that face marred with something that doesn't suit it.

"Ummm…excuse me, Petra." A voice said. They looked towards the door and saw Eren standing there.

"What is it, Eren?" Petra asked with a gentle smile.

"Captain Levi wants to do hand to hand combat with Cassandra." Eren nervously answered. Normally, Petra would be against Levi beating up new recruits but seeing that there's no stopping him there, she simply sighed.

"Go on. He's most likely in the grounds." She told Cassandra, who stood up and followed Eren. Petra followed them a few minutes later to monitor just how bad this is going to get.

Levi walked around the grounds, waiting for that brat that looked so much like Celeste. Armin, Hanji and Mikasa were anxiously watching him. Well, Mikasa was good at keeping herself poker faced so you can't tell if she's anxious or not. Commander Irvin was at Sina with Dallis, to plan for another Expedition. Just then, Eren walked out with Petra and Cassandra. Levi clicked his tongue upon seeing Petra.

'I was hoping Petra wouldn't watch this.' He thought.

"Alright, I'm here. What do you want?" Cassandra asked emotionlessly. With a frown to match his.

"I want you to show me the hand to hand combat you learned in your training, Knight. None of that watch trick of yours." Levi answered. Cassandra clicked her tongue as well and threw her watch to Hanji, who caught it immediately.

"Show me what you got, then." Cassandra said. Levi immediately punched her face but she remained standing. When he threw another hook at her, she blocked it with her arm. He had to admit, that kinda hurt.

"Did I forget to mention? What I did in my time demanded that I know how to fight." She mocked him. Levi retaliated by kicking her ribs, which she endured.

"My turn." She said and she was able to land a powerful punch in his stomach. It knocked the air out of him. He tried to kick her again but she blocked it this time. Cassandra feigned punching his face and hit his ribs instead. This time, he kicked her face which made her fall to the ground. She responded by sweeping his feet with her foot. That made him fall to the ground in pain. Cassandra did an elbow drop on his chest before punching his face. When she tried to do so again, he grabbed her arm and pinned her on her stomach

"Give up?" He asked. Cassandra responded by kicking his back. Hard. They were able to stand up at the same time and he punched her face and choked her with his right hand. What Levi didn't see coming was that she would use her forearms to retaliate. She brought it on his forearm. The pain forced him to let go of her and she kicked him in the chest. Hard. It knocked him to the ground.

"Prick." Cassandra muttered. Levi tackled her to the ground and started punching her again and again and again. In the face and the body. Once again, he is reminded of his hatred for the girl. He hated her for the same reasons that he did 3 years ago. But now he also hated her because of the False Hope she kept giving Petra. The False Hope that he kept feeling. The Hope that she is Celeste. All of a sudden, he felt his eyes sting. Levi realized that Cassandra threw sand in his eyes. But he realized that she didn't get up anymore and just lay down.

"Levi, that's enough!" He heard Petra yell. Mikasa and Eren helped him up while Hanji and Armin hoisted Cassandra up. For the first time in years, he heard Petra call him by his name. He looked at Cassandra and saw that her face was bloodied. She has a split lip, a cut on the cheek, the scar that she has opened up and another wound by her right eye that will no doubt cause another scar. Levi also noticed that she has difficulty in walking. Hanji and Armin took Cassandra inside while Mikasa and Eren followed them. The look in Petra's eyes told him that there will be hell to pay.

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**AN: It's getting too long so I cut if off there. The next chapter will start off with Levi and Petra before the scene shifts to Cassandra. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Thanks in advanced to those who will review!**


	7. Chapter 6: Bad Luck and A Breach

**AN: Alright! Here we are at Chapter VI! You know, I just realized something; my weekend is going to be shit. Sure, I get to go on a tropical island as a vacation (Boracay is an island, right?) and missing a couple of school days in the process but I HAVE to get on a plane (which isn't a good thing for me since it's monsoon season here) and while I'm there, Petra's most likely going to die in the next episode (Sorry for the spoil to those who don't know what'll happen) so I'm probably gonna be grumpy and sensitive the entire time, so I'll probably crash while riding an ATV, a buggy or a jet ski. Anyways, Thanks to those who reviewed! I hope you guys enjoy this. I apologize if Levi and Petra are a bit OOC here but I still hope you guys enjoy it.**

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**CHAPTER VI:**

** BAD LUCK AND A BREACH**

After that scuffle that Levi and Cassandra had, Levi retreated back to his room after Hanji treated his wounds. He had to admit; that brat can pack quite a punch. And a kick. When he entered the room, Petra was sitting on their bed.

"I don't have time for this." He stated emotionlessly. Outside, even thought everyone pretty much knew that they were married, they still treated each other as superior and subordinate but in the confines of their room; they were just Levi and Petra.

"You know you could've killed her, right?" Petra asked him as he looked out the window.

"I know."

"Just tell me this, Levi; why do you hate her so much? Is-is it because she looks like me and Celeste?" Petra asked him, obviously trying to hold back her anger.

"That's one of three parts of it. Another is because whenever we see her, we hope for it. Another part is I don't want her to be Celeste." Levi answered, his face staying the same.

"But why don't you want her to be? I don't understand?"

"Because I wanted to be the one who'll raise her! I wanted to be her father! Not a married couple from the future! I wanted to watch her grow up! The same as you, Petra! Celeste is dead, alright! And nothing, and I mean NOTHING, will bring her back!"

When Levi looked at Petra, she wasn't crying but rather, she looked very angry.

"Hanji told me that Cassandra sometimes wonders why I married you. I'm starting to ask myself that question as well." Petra said before leaving the room. Levi, being the detached ass that he is, just plopped down on his bed. All of a sudden, it hit him. He didn't simply hate Cassandra because she could possibly be Celeste. He didn't hate Cassandra; he hated himself. He hated himself for being a failure as a Father. He hated himself for not doing everything he could to protect his little girl. Another thing is that he was also scared; scared of facing Cassandra if she is Celeste. If Cassandra is Celeste, after everything he's done to her now, would she be able to forgive him? Would she hate him? Or would she still see him as a father?

Levi was scared of facing his own daughter.

Cassandra woke up in her room yet again. Her face stung and feels like a bunch of hornets dive-bombed it. She sat up once again and cradled her head. It hurt. A lot.

'I swear to God, I'm starting to have brain damage.' She thought to herself. She grabbed a mirror from her bag and saw just how bad the damage is. She had a split lip, a cut in her cheek, a bandage by her eye, her scar reopened and look, a bruise by her mouth. Putting the mirror back, she tried to stand up. But of course, something will stop her.

"SON OF A BITCH!" She yelled as she was forced back on her bed. Cassandra's ribs hurt so badly. When she lifted her shirt up, there was a bandage on her chest.

'Suck it up, Knight.' She thought to herself and she forced herself to stand up. When she was able to do that, she tried to walk.

Aaaand she fell on her stomach.

"Help." Cassandra muttered miserably. Seeing as no one was going to come help her, she forced herself to get up again. There was a spike of pain on her left leg, each time she walked. Cassandra limped out of the room and downstairs. She limped towards the dining room where she can hear the others talking.

"Hello?" She greeted as she entered.

"Hey, look who's awake." Armin pointed out as Cassandra entered the room. Unfortunately for her, when she entered, the door closed and slammed on her right leg. Cassandra bit her tongue to prevent herself from screaming.

"Um…the door just slammed on your leg." Eren pointed out.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Cassandra said to gritted teeth. When she was about to move, someone opened the door, which caused her to fall. Again.

"Good grief." She muttered.

"Oh, sorry." Cassandra heard a familiar voice say. She was hoisted up and saw that it was Petra.

"Come on. Sorry about that." She repeated as she took Cassandra to the table. Cassandra sat down while Petra gave her a bowl of soup.

"Thanks." Cassandra said. They ate and chat for a bit until Hanji and Commander Irvin entered the room. They all stood up and saluted him. Though that was extra pain for Cassandra's chest.

"At ease. Knight, I hear you graduated 3rd of your class." The Commander said.

"Yes, sir." She answered.

"That's good. I could use someone like you, given that you mastered the 3DMG in 30 minutes." Irvin said before slapping her shoulder. She whimpered in pain immediately.

"God, what happened to your face?" He asked as they sat down. Just then, Levi entered the room.

"He rearranged it." She answered.

"Alright. I already talked to Zackley. We've been approved for another expedition. We leave next week."

Everyone stayed silent at the news. Cassandra decided to step up.

"Another Expedition to retake Wall Maria?" Cassandra asked him and Irvin nodded. Personally, she thinks the Expeditions are wastes of time. Just then, they heard bells ringing. Cassandra stood up and limped out of the HQ. She saw smoke in Trost. Almost like there are burning houses. The others came out and saw it.

"Trost is burning. It looks like titans are attacking." Cassandra said. Cassandra went back and grabbed her 3DMG and her swords. Her watch was on her wrist. If she did it now, she could get to Trost and aid the Garrison.

"I'll go on ahead. You guys follow on your horses." She said as she turned her watch twice. Cassandra willed everything to create an ice path. Then she created ice blades on her boots. After that she jumped on the path. She created the path as she went. When she got inside Trost, she melted the ice blades with fire. And drew her blades and hooked on the nape of a titan's neck. Cassandra stabbed her blades in and slashed the nape. She used her ice again and slid towards the other titans instead of using her hooks. Cassandra killed any titan in sight.

"HELP!" She heard someone yell. She looked to her right and saw the person in need of help.

Historia Reiss.

"Not this shit again." Cassandra muttered. She directed her ice towards the girl. Like the hero in movies, Cassandra swooped down and grabbed Historia before a titan crushed her like ladybug.

"You again?" Historia asked her.

"A simple thank you would suffice." Cassandra retorted as she set Historia down on a safe spot.

"Thank you." The blonde girl said.

"What's wrong with your gear?" Cassandra asked. She can see the Spec Ops Squad taking down some of the Titan's.

"Ran out of gas." She answered. Cassandra sighed and looked at her own gear.

"I have an idea." Cassandra told her. "Take off your gear."

A couple of minutes later, Historia has two new canisters of barely used gas.

"Go. I'll be fine." She said. Historia nodded and left. Cassandra continued using her ice to take down Titans.

'How did they get in? I thought Trost has a boulder blocking the entrance?' She thought. Cassandra fought her way to the entrance of Trost. That's when she saw it. The boulder has been destroyed. By none other than the Armoured Titan, whom she saw running away.

"Don't chase him. Or do something stupid, kid." She heard someone say. Cassandra saw Captain Jackass standing there.

"Captain…"

"Leave him. We'll find an alternative way of blocking it." Levi told the girl. Now that he's looking at her, he sees the same determination that Petra has in fighting the titans. What he didn't see is the fear that most new recruits have.

"You're not scared. Most recruits are. Usually it stems from watching their friends get eaten." He told her. Cassandra leaped off her ice slide and onto the roof beside him.

"I don't have friends remember. I don't have anything to lose. Well, I'd regret not saving Miss Petra and the others though." She answered emotionlessly. Levi seethed at that moment. It was like she was implying that he couldn't take care of his own wife.

"I can block it." She decided. He looked at her a second too late. Cassandra raised her watch, willed all her mental power and shot the ice towards the hole. It created a very thick wall of ice.

"Tell them not to go anywhere near it. Or at least where a really thick coat." Cassandra said. They saw that most of the titans were getting wiped out. With that, Cassandra collapsed on her knees and everything went black.

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**AN: That's pretty much it. You can kinda see the effort going away in the end. Sorry for that. I'm kinda sick today. Sorry if Levi and Petra are a bit OOC here. Thanks to those who will review.**


	8. Chapter 7: Side Effects

**AN: Hey, guys. It's me again! Here we are at Chapter VII! I hope you guys enjoyed the previous chapters. Thanks to those who reviewed and will review to this chapter. This is just a chapter that would lead up to the next Expedition. Kinda like a filler chapter. Still I hope you guys enjoy this!**

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**CHAPTER VII:**

**SIDE EFFECTS**

Cassandra woke up once again in her bed at the former Legion HQ. Her head hurt and her eyes weren't adjusting. Everything was so blurry.

"What the hell?" She asked herself. Cassandra tried to get up but she didn't know where she was going. Unbeknownst to her, she was walking towards her window. Which was open.

"Help! Where-OH, SHIT!" Cassandra yelled as she fell on her back to the ground. Her room was on the second floor so that pretty much hurt.

"Cassandra!" She heard someone yell for her.

"Down here!" Cassandra answered as she slowly opened her eyes again. Her eyes finally adjusted and she could see Hanji and Petra's faces looking down on her from her room. Cassandra slowly sat up. Her clothes were still the same clothes she was wearing when the titans attacked; a white dress shirt, covered with blood thanks to the beating she received from Captain Jackass (she really can't lay off the nicknames, can she?), white pants, boots and so many belts that would probably be pleasurable to someone who practices S&M.

"Are you alright?" An emotionless voice asked her. All of a sudden, Mikasa was looking down at her.

"Yeah." She answered as she stood up. Her head was ringing and her muscles felt weak forcing her to lean against the wall. Just then, Hanji and Petra came running.

"You're up. How are you feeling?" Petra asked.

"Bad. My head hurts." She answered. Hanji put a hand to her forehead.

"Your fever's subsiding." Hanji told her.

"What happened?" Cassandra asked them.

"When you summoned that wall of ice to block Trost's gate, you collapsed. Levi brought you back and your fever was so high that you were out for 2 days. It's already afternoon." Petra answered. Cassandra looked at her with a questioning look; Captain Asshole actually brought her back here.

"Yes, Levi brought you back to us." Hanji told her, almost as if she sensed that Cassandra didn't believe her.

'Huh, maybe Captain Shorty does have a heart.' Cassandra thought to herself.

"I'm going back. Might as well take a bath too." Cassandra said as she walked away. Once she was cleaned up, she got dressed yet again. Her head still hurt and Cassandra's muscles still felt weak. She was in her room, lying on her bed. She wasn't called for anything yet anyways but that just added to her boredom.

"Maybe I should visit Clara." She decided and she stood up. When she walked out the hallway, she saw the Captain walking towards her.

"I see you're up and about." He said emotionlessly. Cassandra knew how much he wanted to bash her skull in the wall.

"Yeah." She answered. Levi crossed his arms and just stared at her coldly.

"Got something else to say?" Cassandra asked him as she shoved her hands in her pocket.

"Do me a favour; try not to get yourself killed out there."

"I'll do my best, Captain."

"My wife seems attached to you. I wouldn't want her heart broken all over again." He said, with one hell of a poker face.

'Oh, so he does care.' Cassandra thought.

"Sure." She answered, countering with her own poker face. Her poker face was on par with Mikasa's. Levi walked away from her and back to his room.

"Captain Levi." Cassandra called for him. He turned around immediately.

"Thanks. For bringing me back here." She said. Levi clicked his tongue before walking away yet again. Cassandra slowly headed downstairs and to the door. She made her way to the stables and sought out Clara.

"Hey, Clara. Who's been taking care of you while I was conked out?" She said. The horse neighed in reply. Then Cassandra noticed that Clara doesn't have any water and food anymore. She immediately moved to grab the grains for the horses and a bucket of water.

"Sorry, buddy, but I don't have any sugar cubes on me right now. Maybe if I could find an anomaly I could get you some." Cassandra told Clara. Cassandra felt so lonely at times. In her time, she was never this lonely. She had her cousins to talk to and her friends in the racing community but here, she had no one. And here she was, talking to a horse. When she was done feeding Clara, Cassandra's head felt like it was splitting. She collapsed on her knees and she felt her nose bleeding and it was. It went away yet again immediately.

"What the fuck was that?" She asked herself. Cassandra stood up yet again and walked out the stables after saying good bye to Clara. As she was walking away, she ran into Petra.

"Oh, hey." Cassandra greeted her.

"Cassandra, are you sure you should be up?" Petra asked her.

"I'm fine." She answered.

"Oh, well do you want to go on a walk?" The older woman asked. Truth be told, Cassandra still felt a bit weak but maybe a walk would do her some good.

"Yeah, why not?" Cassandra answered. What surprised her was that Petra clung to her arm all of a sudden but nevertheless, she smiled. Cassandra enjoyed the woman's company to be honest. Enjoying someone's company other than family was new to Cassandra, who was a bit socially awkward in her time. Her head was always at racing so it was difficult to talk to the kids at school. They kept walking in silence. When she was 15, she was a bit shorter than Petra. Now, 3 years later, she was a couple of inches taller than her and the Captain (1). Yeah, that was probably another reason why he hates her. The Captain most likely has height issues. Cassandra spoke up as she noticed that troubled expression on Petra's face.

"You seem troubled. What's wrong?'

Petra perked up at the younger girl's question. She was a bit hesitant to tell her.

"Uh…well…I-"

"Say no more. I get it. It's the Captain, ain't it?" Cassandra intervened.

"How did you know?" She asked. The younger girl let out a laugh before answering.

"Well, if someone you know is this down and married to a jackass with height issues, it wouldn't take too long to figure out what troubles them. Hell, even a 3 year old could put two and two together."

"Well, yes. We are having our problems. Last I heard, every married couple has them. We've had problems since…"

"Celeste?"

"Exactly." Petra said. That story wasn't exactly a secret. From the normal citizens of Wall Rose to the nobles of Wall Sina, everyone knew the tragic story of Captain Levi and Petra Ral, a married couple who lost their daughter too early. It was no surprise if even a newcomer knew about it.

"Levi blames himself too much. After that, he never wanted kids. I didn't either. We thought that if we couldn't even protect our first child, how can we protect our second child?"

"I'd blame myself too. I mean, I lost my little girl on my watch. I'd never forgive myself if that happened." Cassandra said. Even though she and Captain Levi had some animosity between them, Cassandra pitied the man. To lose a great gift like a child at 3 months is heart breaking.

"Miss Petra, I'd like to give you a piece of advice. I know it would be weird for an 18 year old giving an older lady advice but I don't think I can sleep without saying this. This advice I'm going to give you made my adoptive parents' marriage work for 16 years. When they found me, they couldn't have kids and they've been married for 2 years, so here's my advice; make it work. One of you should swallow your pride and apologize. Don't go to bed angry at one another. In times like these, you never know if you're going to make it back alive after the next Expedition or the next time the Titans attack so don't stay mad each other for too long. You might regret it."

Cassandra saw that Petra seemed to have contemplated her words. As if she was taking them by heart. She thought that frowning doesn't suit the woman's face. I mean Petra looked like she was still in her 20s so her face was still angelic. Like it never changed during the past 18 years.

"Hey, wipe that frown away. It doesn't suit that angelic face of yours." The 18 year old said.

'Smooth as a baby's bottom.' Cassandra thought. If she was a guy, she'd be winning the hearts of girls all over the world. All of a sudden, Petra smiled at her.

"Thank you, Cassandra. I'll try your advice." Petra said. Cassandra smiled back at but her headache came back. She didn't want Petra to drag her back to the Headquarters.

"We-we should head back." Cassandra suggested, all the while trying not to show the exhaustion and pain in her voice.

"Of course, it's kind of getting late." Petra said. The sun was setting and night would creep upon them soon. They walked back to HQ. They entered and Petra kissed Cassandra's cheek.

"Thank you. Why don't you get some rest for a while?" Petra suggested. Cassandra nodded and headed to her room. She immediately keeled over in pain once she was in the privacy of her room. Cassandra fell to the ground and crawled over to her bed. She hauled herself up. Her own hands felt like ice to her skin. She cocooned herself in her blankets and bed sheets to counter the coldness she felt. All of a sudden, her left wrist started hurting. When she inspected it, Cassandra's eyes widened and she nearly screamed in horror. Her watch was foggy and the bottom of it had ice that was attached to her skin. The ice led to her hand and it seems to have stopped at her arm. She can still turn the watch face even though there's ice in it.

"What the fuck is this?" Cassandra asked herself. She grabbed her left hand racing glove and wore it to conceal her hand. Thank God she always wears long sleeved shirts. That way her arm is concealed. Cassandra lay back on her bed, wondering what caused her hand to go like that. All of a sudden, it hit her. Cassandra remembered the time she received the watch 5 years ago.

"_Uncle Damon? I heard you were calling for me?" 13 year old Cassandra asked as she walked in her Uncle's study._

"_Yes I was, Cass. Were you busy?" Uncle Damon asked as he tinkered with something on his desk. Cassandra shoved her hands in her pockets before replying._

"_No. Not really. Daddy and I were just studying the Paris Circuit. So I'll know where to go at the next race." _

"_Is that so? Come here then. I have something for you."_

_Cassandra approached him and he handed her a watch._

"_Wear it and turn the watch face once." He instructed her. Cassandra did so immediately._

"_Point it there and think of fire."_

_She pointed the watch at a dummy in the office, closed her eyes and thought of fire. When she opened her eyes, her watch was spewing fire. She broke her concentration and the flames disappeared. Cassandra did the same with the ice feature. The gun mode was pretty easy to use._

"_Just a warning, Cass. The Fire and Ice features are very taxing to the human mind and body. This is just a prototype so I don't recommend over usage as side effects could occur since it affects your brain. It could kill you if you ain't careful. Side effects are headaches, blurry eye vision, nosebleeds and weakness. The ice feature could turn your body to ice but I'm working on fixing it. So be careful." Uncle Damon told her._

"_I will, Uncle." Cassandra answered him._

When Cassandra shook herself from that memory, she felt the headache return. Cassandra felt her nose bleeding and they were. Blood was dripping to her sheets. All this was a side effect of the watch.

"Cassandra, dinner's ready!" Armin yelled from outside her room.

"Alright! I'll be right out!" Cassandra replied. Damn shota. Cassandra wiped all the blood from her nose. She stood up and staggered to the door. Cassandra exited the room and walked past Armin.

"Cass, you're going to love Petra's tea." Armin excitedly said as they walked to the dining hall. She staggered towards the staircase. Her headache was getting to her and she felt cold. Thankfully, Armin couldn't notice the waterfall of blood from her nose that only normally stems from a crash or a powerful blush.

"Are you okay?" Armin asked her.

"Yeah, I'm just-"

Then, Cassandra lost her footing and fell down the staircase. When she got to the bottom, everything went black.

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**AN: Late update than usual, I know. Forgive me. This might be the last update I'll make for a while because I don't know if Boracay will give me time to update but I'll try as much as possible. Now, I'll explain what the number means.**

**1 – Yes, since I'm pretty sure everyone knows who Cassandra really is, I'll tell you guys that Cassandra is taller than Petra and Levi. Petra's dad is taller than them so Cassandra gets her height from Petra's dad. But not that much.**

**Alright! This is Chapter VII! I hope you guys enjoyed this. Thanks to those who will review and reviewed to the previous chapters.**


	9. Chapter 8: Expedition I

**AN: Alrighty, Chapter VIII! I hope you guys enjoyed the previous chapter. Thanks to those who reviewed to the previous chapters. Okay, here I am in Boracay. It's Monday here in the Philippines so it's my third and last night here. I go home tomorrow afternoon. Anyways, I almost cried when our plane got in the air since it was my first time. Let me just say this; I watched the latest Shingeki Episode yesterday (which was a Sunday) and that night, I pigged out on crepes and got roaring drunk. That's how hard Petra's death hit me. Anyways, I have decided to make this chapter epically longer than usual. At least, I hope it's longer than usual. Anyways, here is Chapter VIII! I hope you enjoy!**

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**CHAPTER VIII:**

**EXPEDITION I**

Petra was serving dinner for everyone and pouring tea when she heard a crash outside the dining hall.

"CASSANDRA? HELP!" She heard Armin yell. Petra rushed outside towards the staircase and saw Armin cradling Cassandra on his lap. Her face was covered in blood which came from her nose. Eren and Mikasa came down immediately and so did Hanji.

"What happened?" Petra asked as she tended to Cassandra.

"I don't know. She looked weak and-and then she-she lost her footing and fell." Armin explained in a panicked manner.

"Get her to her room. Her temperature's dropping." Hanji said. Eren and Mikasa picked her up and carried Cassandra to her room. They were surprised by how much of a mess the room is. They set her on her bed. Cassandra was shivering a lot so Armin covered her with a blanket but that didn't seem to have helped.

"What's wrong with the brat now?" Levi asked as he walked in the room. He noticed the blood pouring out her nose. For some reason, Levi felt pain in his heart. Almost as if he didn't want to see Cassandra like that.

'Tch…what's wrong with me? I shouldn't be concerned about her.' He thought angrily.

Petra wiped all the blood from Cassandra's face and held the girl's hand. They all noticed the glove on her left hand. Her temperature was slowly going back to normal and she stopped shivering. Cassandra slowly opened her eyes and saw everyone looking down at her.

"What happened?" Cassandra asked as she sat up. Thankfully, her eyesight adjusted to normal almost immediately.

"You fell down the stairs and your temperature was dropping." Hanji answered.

"What's wrong with you?" Mikasa asked her. Cassandra was hesitant to answer. "Armin said that you've been a bit weak earlier. Your nose was bleeding like a faucet and no normal person's temperature just drops like yours did."

Again, she hesitated on answering. There was no need to make them worry about her when they have an Expedition coming up in a couple of days. When she was about to say that she was fine, of course, Captain Shorty over there has to go and ruin it for her.

"Check her left hand." Levi ordered. They were confused with his order so they weren't able to do so. He approached her and took the glove off. Petra and the others gasped at Cassandra's hand, now turned into ice. It wasn't transparent, it also wasn't simply covered in ice but rather it was as if her arm was cut off and ice has replaced it, taking the form of her hand. She reluctantly pulled her sleeve down and showed them that the ice has advanced to her elbow. The watch looked as normal as ever but there was ice at the bottom of it that welded the watch to her skin.

"What the fuck is that?" Eren asked, his mouth hanging open in surprise.

"Side effect from over usage of the watch." Cassandra answered. "It started after I summoned the ice wall. My Uncle warned me about this but I never thought it'd really happen."

"Well, can you still fight the titans with an arm like this?" Hanji asked her as she tapped the ice arm in fascination.

"Yeah. As long as I don't over use the watch, I should be fine." She replied as she opened and closed her hand. It was working fine. She put her glove back on and rolled her sleeve down.

"What? Stop looking at me like I'm going to keel over sooner or later. I'm fine." She told them.

"Oh, well now that that's settled let's go have some dinner!" Hanji suggested. With that, she ran away with Eren and Armin hot in her heels. Mikasa quietly followed them and so did Levi, leaving Petra to help Cassandra up.

"If it keeps going, what'll happen to you?" Petra worriedly asked her as they walked to the hallway.

"I die." Cassandra answered. "The only person who can possibly cure me is my Uncle Damon and he's 2000 years away."

Petra simply stayed silent after that except for the chats they had during dinner. She noticed that Cassandra and Levi hardly participated in it.

'They're so alike. In more ways than one. Celeste, could you have possibly returned to us in a different name, without us knowing?' She thought. Petra so desperately wanted Cassandra to be the daughter they lost but how could they know for sure that Cassandra is her?

After dinner, they all went to bed. As Cassandra lay in her bed, she wondered if Petra took her advice. She may hate the Captain for the two counts of mistreatment she suffered under him (one of them was child abuse for God's sake) but for some reason, Cassandra didn't like the idea of them fighting. Before she knew it, Cassandra drifted off to sleep.

**THE NEXT DAY**

Cassandra was sleeping soundly like a baby when all of a sudden…

"Cassandra! Get up! Change of plans! The Expedition happens today!" Petra announced as she barged in, already wearing her uniform. Startled, Cassandra fell from her bed. There are only a few things that can piss Cassandra off; losing races, a spider or a cockroach escaping from their deaths, people teasing her for being adopted, etc. But the thing that pisses her off the most is when people barge in her room while she's still sleeping.

"Ever heard of knocking?" Cassandra asked with an annoyed voice. She wasn't really keen on getting caught wearing black track pants and a green shirt with a teddy bear imprint. Her ice arm wasn't hidden by her clothes. Thank God her figure didn't really change much, so she can still wear the clothes she brought with her since she was 15. The people from the Corps bought her some clothes but she was more comfortable with what she brought with her. It reminded her of home.

"Sorry but the Expedition got moved today and we have to go so get ready." Petra explained.

"Why are you so happy? You in a hurry to die?" Cassandra asked her as she stood up. Petra smiled but not in agreement. It told Cassandra that she took her advice.

"Wait, you took my advice and…how should I put this? Got some action yesterday?" She asked.

"I don't know what kind of 'action' you're talking about but if you're talking about sex, then yes." Petra said. That was kinda disturbing for Cassandra.

"How the hell could you just say it like that?" She asked as she grabbed a pile of clothes from her bag and her harnesses before walking past Petra, who held a confused look in her face. Cassandra was heading to the bathroom when she heard Petra yell.

"What's wrong? Do you want to know about it?"

'What. The. Fuck?' Cassandra thought as she entered the bathroom. She came out a few minutes later, wearing a long sleeved white dress shirt, white pants and boots. Her belts were already fastened to her body and her left hand glove was covering her ice hand. Cassandra walked out the bathroom and headed for her room to grab her jacket and her gear. When she was about to come out of the HQ, she heard Levi yell.

"Hey, Knight, if you don't come out of here in 60 seconds and get on your damn horse, we're leaving you behind!"

Cassandra immediately ran out of the HQ and whistled for Clara, who came in running immediately. When Clara was near her, she grabbed the reigns and jumped on Clara.

"And now, I'm leaving you behind!" Cassandra yelled at them as she kept going ahead of them. In no time, the others caught up to her and they were able to ride to Karanese District. The ice wall she made obviously doesn't have a built in door so they'd still have to exit via Karanese. Cassandra familiarized herself with the strategy that the Commander formulated. Finally, they reached the other soldiers and waited for the gate to open.

"Look, it's Ice Princess Cassandra." Cassandra heard a little girl say to her friend. Cassandra looked at Petra with a questioning look but she just shrugged in reply. Why are the people calling her Ice Princess?

"I heard that she came from the future by the anomaly. Is it really true that she summoned the Ice wall at Trost?"

Ah, so that's why. More unneeded nicknames. Great. Back in her time, she was known in the racetracks as the Black Knight of North Dakota.

"Good Luck, kid. Try not to piss your pants like Petra did." Eren said. Cassandra nodded in reply and then, it sunk in.

"Wait, she what?" She asked, trying to contain her laughter.

"Eren, don't tell her that!" Petra scolded the boy. Armin and Mikasa were trying not to laugh. Finally, the gates opened and they rode out of Karanese. Cassandra had no idea why they were going to go on an Expedition but something tells her that this isn't just about retaking Wall Maria. And something also tells her, this Expedition ain't gonna be pretty.

The Spec Ops Squad stayed in the middle (1) of the formation, where Eren would be safe, according to what she was told. All of a sudden, they saw a red flare.

"Titan spotted." She said. Armin fired a red flare as well. After a while, more red flares popped up and a green flare flew up in the sky. They followed it immediately. Petra fired a green flare as well. Then more greens popped up. Cassandra heard Armin gasp suddenly.

"An Aberrant!" He warned as he fired a black flare. It was crawling towards them. Fast.

"It's going a bit too fast, don't you think?" She yelled. No one can help them if they get attacked. That's when shit hit the fan. The Aberrant jumped and landed near them. Cassandra, who was at the very back of the squad, got thrown off of Clara. Reacting fast and with no other choice, she created a bunch of ice pillars and latched her hooks on them, turning around, narrowly avoiding the titan's jaws and slicked the nape of its neck. Cassandra coughed up to the others by using the ice pillars to latch her hooks on them. Then, she whistled. Clara caught up to The Squad just as she dropped on the saddle.

"Wha? Where the fuck have you been?" Eren asked her, surprised by her sudden appearance.

"Somewhere." She answered as she glanced at her gloved hand.

"You stupid brat. Stop putting your life at risk." Levi scolded her. She clicked her tongue in annoyance. Just who the hell is he to boss her around?

"Keep going. We're almost at the Forest of Giant Trees." Mikasa told her.

'That was fast. Just how long were we riding?' Cassandra asked herself. When she looked up, she saw it. Man, those are huge trees. She's been to San Francisco and those threes don't even come close to these.

"Why are we here? Last time an Expedition went this way, a lot of people died! Along with the other Spec Ops Members!" Cassandra yelled. They didn't answer her.

"Damn it." She muttered. Then, she heard them. Footsteps.

'Shit.' Cassandra thought. 'A luring operation? Again?'

Cassandra heard the story of the 57th Expedition. It was to capture the Female Titan. A shifter like Eren. She killed more people than a person can count with their fingers. She killed the former Spec Ops members Gunter Schultz, Erd Gin and Auruo Bossard. Nearly killed Petra too. The shifter, Annie Leonhardt, as Cassandra heard, was captured and encased herself in crystal but it brought out the traitors in their midst; Bertholdt Fubar and Reiner Braun. Another traitor was Ymir. All of them were shifters.

"Snap out of it, Cassandra." Petra scolded her.

"Here it comes! It's Ymir!" Eren yelled at them.

"Why am I not surprised at who's in her mouth?" Mikasa remarked. Cassandra looked back and saw Historia in the Titan's mouth.

"HELP!" She yelled.

'Getting real tired of your shit, Historia.' She thought.

"What the hell?" Cassandra asked them.

"Long story. She's going for Eren. Like they always have." Levi told her. Cassandra was torn; stay with the squad or stay behind and save Historia. If something bad happened to her, it would haunt Cassandra for the rest of her sad, short life.

"Keep going. I'll go get her." Cassandra decided. Before Petra and anyone else could protest, she latched on a tree and turned to face the Titan.

"Come on, you double crossing piece of shit." She muttered. "HISTORIA!"

Ymir tried to swat her like a fly but she was able to dodge and shot her mouth with ice. The block of ice kept the mouth open. In a flash, Cassandra yanked Historia out of the titan's mouth. After that, they ran away. Cassandra used an ice slide to high tail away from Ymir.

"Where's your horse?" Cassandra asked. Ymir doesn't seem to be following them. Historia whistled and so did Cassandra. Historia's horse and Clara immediately came. After depositing Historia off her horse, Cassandra hopped on Clara.

"Go back to your squad!" She told Historia.

"Good Luck." Historia replied. Cassandra immediately caught up with the Spec Ops Squad.

"I'm home!" Cassandra smugly told them. Seriously; she wanted to parade around in a shirt that says 'I survived a double crossing Titan shifter just to save a woman older than me!' Unfortunately, she just got hit in the head by Petra.

"Are you insane? You completely jeopardized the plan!" She yelled at her. Finally, it hit her. This was a luring operation; it wouldn't matter who died as long as the Corps got what they wanted. Cassandra clenched her jaw in anger.

"I'm not willing to stand idly by and watch someone die!" She yelled at Petra. Levi looked at her angrily and Eren, Mikasa and Armin looked worried.

"Think for once, Knight. Everyone in this Corps is willing to sacrifice someone or themselves for the good of humanity. For the Glory of Humanity. They would put guilt aside for an operation to succeed." Levi told her. "Trust in the corps, Knight. Everyone who joined knows that they're going to die with honour or live to see another day."

Cassandra looked down in shame as they kept going. When they got to the rendezvous point, something deep inside Cassandra that there will be hell to pay.

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**AN: Alright. That was the longest I have written. I'm sorry if this isn't longer than you guys expected but I'm a bit tired. And still a bit drunk. Bear with me. Anyways, here's what the number means.**

**1 – I don't remember if the Spec Ops Squad was placed in the middle or somewhere else but please bear with me. **

**Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Thanks to those who reviewed and will review. Good Night!**


	10. Chapter 9: Camp Out

**AN: Chapter IX is here! I am home from Boracay so I should be able to update at the same pace I used to but with time, I guess. You're talking to a 15 year old who got roaring drunk for two days and pigged out on crepes when Petra died in the latest episode. I put a little Eren x Mikasa here because…I wanted to. Anyhow, thanks to those who reviewed and will review to this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy this.**

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**CHAPTER IX:**

**CAMP OUT**

"Do you realize what you've done? Not only have you compromised the mission but you have also exposed yourself to Ymir! She could tell Bertholdt and Reiner about you!" Commander Irvin scolded her. Cassandra flinched at the tone of his voice.

"Yes, sir, I am aware of that. But I refuse to stand idly by and watch someone I die when I could've saved them." She answered.

"Knight, you don't get it; the people who joined the Legion are willing to risk what they've got for success. Some push away the guilt and pain of watching someone die before their eyes. I suggest you do the same."

Cassandra breathed deeply before answering.

"Yes, sir."

"Go on." Irvin ordered her. With a salute, she left the tent (1). Everyone was around their own campfires with their friends or squad members, comforting one another through the deaths and horror that they've witnessed. They decided to camp out in a clearing in the forest. When she found Petra with her own campfire, Cassandra immediately walked up to her and sat beside her.

"Hey." She greeted. Petra looked at her immediately.

"How did it go?" Petra asked worriedly. Cassandra looked a bit out of it so it worried Petra that maybe the ice was advancing yet again.

"It-it was fine. He told me the same things that Captain Shorty did. But he also said that I exposed myself to Ymir by using the watch." Cassandra replied as she stared at the fire in a daze.

"How's your arm?" She asked. Now that she mentioned it, Cassandra realized that she wasn't showing symptoms of advancement. She can feel that the ice was still in her elbow.

"It's good." She answered. Just then, they heard someone arguing.

"I do not need you to baby me, Mikasa! Stop treating me like I'm your little brother!" Eren yelled.

"Here they go again." Petra muttered as the two kept arguing. She was fond of Eren the same way a mother would be fond of their son, but the boy was just too confusing sometimes. Everyone knows that he likes the attention that Mikasa is giving him but he refuses to admit it. Armin told them that before Mikasa showed her fighter side, he practically hogged Mikasa to himself (2).

"They're like a married couple. I mean, I get that they grew up as siblings but they don't act like it." Cassandra said as they watched Eren walk away from Mikasa.

"Believe it or not, they like each other more than just siblings." She said.

"Oh, trust me, I can believe that. I've seen the look in Mikasa's eyes when she talks about him." Cassandra answered. They saw Armin moving to comfort Mikasa. Her eyes widened at the sight.

"No…could it be? Competition, huh (3)? I'll go talk to Eren." She volunteered. After that, she stood up and ran towards the direction Eren went.

"Hey! Eren, wait up!" She yelled after him. Eren turned around immediately.

"Cassandra, what are you doing here?" He asked her.

"I saw you and Mikasa arguing.

"That wouldn't happen if she would stop babying me." Eren growled.

"I'd say you're pretty lucky to have a woman like that caring for you." Cassandra told him. "Just how do you feel about Mikasa, Eren?"

Cassandra knew that if worse comes to worse she'd have to resort to her Tease tactic in Matchmaking. It worked on her cousins when they were too afraid to ask the girls they liked out. It worked on Rex. It worked on Duncan. She's willing to bet it would work on Andrew. Believe it or not, Cassandra is willing to stoop that low if that'll get Eren to open his eyes to the glaringly obvious.

"Well, she's family. I should be protecting her. Not the other way around. I saved her life once. Why can't I do it again?" He asked as he sat down on a boulder. Cassandra sat down beside him and patted his back. She knew the story of how Mikasa and Eren met thanks to Armin.

"That's one way to feel about her. But do you love her? Not as family but as someone you can spend the rest of your life with?"

She could see Eren blush but he shook his head.

"No. No, I don't!" He yelled defensively. Well, time for the big gun. Cassandra stood up and she knew she would have to stoop this low. Crossing her arms behind her head, Cassandra spoke up with her eyes closed.

"Well, if that's how you feel. Just try to remember Mikasa's a beautiful girl who's single. A lot of guys would kill just to get in her pants. Like Armin. Or that Jean Kirschtein. From what I hear, he has the hots for her."

"WHAT? Like hell he's going even 2 feet near her! I'd rather let Armin have her than Jean." Eren said through gritted teeth. Cassandra cracked an eye open with a smirk.

"Try to remember this, Eren, we never know how valuable someone is to us until we lose them. But since you don't like her that way, maybe I'll just go and set her up with Armin. Or better yet, Jean." She threatened. When she opened her eyes once more, she saw Eren running as fast as he could back to camp. He fell right into her trap.

"Smooth as baby's bottom." She muttered before walking back to camp. When she arrived back in their spot, only Petra was there.

"What did you do? Eren just ran off with Mikasa." She said. Cassandra gave her a sly smile.

"I know. I scared him with the possibility of Kirschtein asking Mikasa out."

At that moment, Armin sat down all red in the face.

"The hell happened to you?" She asked him.

"I just saw Eren and Mikasa. Making out." Armin answered as he lowered his head. She could swear that his nose is about to bleed. But she'd enjoy her victory first.

"Aw, yis! It worked! Whoo!" She yelled out.

"What did you do, Cassandra?" Armin asked her.

"I told him that Kirschtein might ask her out." Cassandra slyly replied. He had a horrified look on his face.

"Those two have been going at it for 18 years just for Mikasa's attention. Of course, Eren and Armin was always her top priority so it's easy to see who won." Petra told her. Cassandra only giggled in response. After that, they had dinner and almost everyone turned in except for the lookouts. Cassandra, unfortunately, was put on lookout duty by none other than Levi.

'Tch…stupid asshole. He's lucky I'm used to staying up late.' She thought as she sat on a branch. Apparently, the branches of the trees are so large that you can sit down on them. She pulled out her wallet and looked at a picture of her and her cousins before she left. Just then, she heard someone jump on her branch. Cassandra looked up to see that it was only Petra.

"I thought you might want some company for a while." She said. Cassandra gave her a small smile in response.

"I guess a little company won't hurt."

Petra smiled and moved closer to her. Until now, they don't get why they were so attached to one another.

"What's that?" She asked curiously. Cassandra looked at her before realizing what she was asking.

"Oh, in my time this is called a photograph or a picture (4). Whatever works for you. Anyways, they're used as mementos of the good times. See, those are my adoptive cousins Rex, Duncan, Andrew, Andrea and Janine." She explained. In the picture, the boys were wearing suits, while the girls wore dresses. That was a rare thing for Cassandra since she didn't like dresses. Rex, Duncan and Cassandra were standing beside the chairs where the four children sat. Supposedly, it meant that the three of them are to protect the kids from any danger.

"They're good looking. You're very lucky to have found a family like that." Petra said. There's been something that has been nagging Petra's mind for the past 3 years ever since they found Cassandra. Mustering her courage, she spoke up.

"Cassandra, I think you're our daughter."

Cassandra almost fell off the branch in surprise.

"What? No, I'm not." Cassandra said. Truth be told, she wasn't blind. She knew how much she resembled Petra and Levi but she refused to believe that she is their daughter. And she refused to get her hopes up that she found her real parents. Because whether she liked it or not, whether she admitted it or not; she was scared of meeting them.

"We lost our daughter to the anomaly, you came from an anomaly. You resemble Levi and I. It couldn't have been a coincidence." Petra desperately insisted. Cassandra sighed as she took a lock of Petra's hair and cut it with a pocket knife.

"When I find an anomaly, I'll go back to my time and I'll find Celeste. But I'm not her. I refuse to believe I'm her without any proof. I refuse to get my hopes up that I have found my real parents, only to get my heart broken later if I was wrong." She said. "Get some sleep. I'll stay on lookout for the squad."

Petra left the tree immediately. She walked back to the tent she shared with Levi (5). When she entered the tent, Levi was starting to fall asleep. She took her gear off and lay beside him. The moment she did, she started crying. Levi felt like a bucket of ice cold water was just dumped on him upon hearing her sobs.

"Why are you crying?" He asked as he turned to face her. Levi absolutely despised it when Petra cried unless she was crying out of happiness.

"It's Cassandra. I told her that I think she's Celeste. She herself refuses to believe it." Petra answered in between sobs. He immediately wiped her tears away and embraced her.

"Petra, if she doesn't want to believe it, let her. I don't believe she's Celeste too. It's not because I want Celeste gone but I want to believe that she's in a better place." He admitted. It was uncharacteristic of him to do so but he felt that she needed to know how he feels towards Celeste's disappearance. As much as Levi loved Celeste, he pitied the girl for being born into a world like this. When he accepted the fact that she could possibly be dead, he just kept on telling himself that she was in a better place. But even if he doesn't admit it, deep inside Levi also wanted his daughter back in his arms. And now that Knight is here, all the defences he made those past 15 years was slowly crumbling down.

"I just want Celeste back." He heard Petra say. His arms tightened around his wife as she cried on his shoulder.

"I know. I want her back too." He finally admitted. His defences crumbled down completely and in a rare moment, Captain Levi, Humanity's strongest soldier, cried with his wife. When they lost Celeste, Levi shed no tears because he felt that he had to be strong as always. But at that moment, he cried for himself; for being a failure as a father. For being unable to watch his daughter grow up and give her the love and care that he promised her that he would provide. He cried for his wife; for being unable to make her the happiest woman alive but most of all…

.

.

.

He cried for daughter; for being born into such a cruel world and could've been possibly dragged back into it (6).

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**AN: And this is Chapter IX! I hope you guys enjoyed this. Before I sign off, here is what the numbers mean.**

**1 – I'm not entirely sure how Expeditions go in the night when they didn't need to retreat but I think they camp out in the woods.**

**2 – Plainly my type of thinking. I always thought that before Eren found out that Mikasa could fight, he kept her to himself most of the time.**

**3 – Don't mind that; that's just Cassandra misunderstanding Armin's actions.**

**4 – I don't know if they have pictures by that time so I just had Cassandra explain it to Petra.**

**5 – Let's just say in here, since they're married, Levi and Petra can share one tent. **

**6 – I know that Levi is completely OOC here but again, I think that's how he would react when his defences crumble down and he lost a loved one. Just to be clear this doesn't mean that Levi regrets that Celeste was born. **

**Thanks for reading! Thanks to those who reviewed and will review to this chapter!**


	11. Chapter 10: Success

**AN: Here we are at Chapter X! Okay, first off, I feel the need to apologize once again for making Levi so OOC in the previous chapter, so again, I'm so sorry. Thanks to those who reviewed in the previous chapters. I hope you guys enjoy this!**

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**CHAPTER X:**

**SUCCESS**

Cassandra woke up from her branch when the sun hit her face. Checking her watch, she saw that she's only been asleep for 3 hours. She stood up to stretch. There were barely any people awake right now. Cassandra donned her aviators to keep the sun out of her eyes. When she was about to go down from the tree, she felt it shake. When she was about to do so again, the ground shook and Cassandra knew that the ground was transmitting the vibration up the tree and it was not from an earthquake or a tremor. Cassandra felt someone come up next to her. She saw that it was just Mikasa.

"Cassandra, there's some coffee and food down there." She said.

"I can't have coffee. I'm already paranoid enough." She answered, waiting for another vibration. Another happened and it was stronger than usual.

"Did you feel that?" Cassandra asked as she took her glasses off. Mikasa got her blades ready immediately. They've encountered this more than once.

"Get down there and wake everyone up. A titan is coming." Mikasa explained as another vibration came. Cassandra knew that she lacked the time to go around waking everyone up in camp.

"I got a better idea." She answered. She grabbed her pistol and shot it in the air 3 times. After that, she grabbed her flare gun and shot it, releasing a noise grenade. It was a guaranteed alarm clock. Almost everyone came out just as a loud vibration came. When Cassandra turned around, a bunch of titans came.

"OH SHIT!" She yelled. Everyone started to grab their gear. Cassandar immediately latched on a Titan's neck and slashed it. Her face was covered their blood as she, Mikasa and a few others kept going. They stopped at another branch and watched the scene. Titans were coming left and right, leaving death and destruction in their wake.

"What happened?" Commander Irvin asked as he came with Levi, Hanji and Petra.

"Knight and I felt vibrations on the tree where we were. I told her to wake everyone up since Titans were coming. Turns out I was right." Mikasa explained.

"No doubt someone or something lured them here but how come I didn't hear anything?" Cassandra said as she slapped her pistol clip back on. She so badly wanted to kill every single one of them. But instead, she forced herself to watch those unlucky ones die. She clenched her jaw and balled her fists in anger. As she looked around, she saw a hooded feminine figure a few feet behind them. She knew without a doubt that was the person who lured the titans.

"Over there." Cassandra pointed as the hooded figure left using a 3DMG. She immediately gave chase.

"Cassandra, no!" She heard Petra yell. But all that Cassandra felt was rage. She had to make the person responsible pay. Cassandra used an ice slide to give chase. If she uses her watch's gun mode, the ice would disappear. She pulled out her gun and shot at the person. When Cassandra hit her in the shoulder, the person turned into a titan. A titan she was familiar with.

"I knew it was Ymir." She muttered. Cassandra shifted back to 3DMG to chase her. Immediately, a plan formulated in her head. Taking a deatour, she was ahead of Ymir immediately. Stopping on a branch, she turned her watch face back once. When Ymir was on sight, Cassandra willed a ball of fire towards Ymir's eyes. Upon impact, Ymir recoiled in pain but Cassandra knew that Titan can focus their regeneration to heal one eye. That's how Annie Leonhardt killed the other Spec Ops members. She knew she would have no other choice if she wanted to capture Ymir for the Legion and right the wrong she did the previous day. Cassandra forced herself to summon two large spikes of ice and the moment Ymir brought her hand down, she released them towards her eyes to prevent regeneration. It forced Ymir to the ground. Drained of energy, Cassandra forced herself to go down and walk towards the nape of the Titan's neck. Using her blades, she was able to cut the nape open and forcefully pulled her out.

"Don't you dare turn into crystal, you bitch!" She yelled out. Ymir was starting to stir so Cassandra hit her in the head with the handle of her gun. Grabbing a strong vine, she pulled Ymir to a tree and tied her there. Then, she shot her pistol 3 times to signify that she's still alive before releasing a yellow flare. Dropping to the ground, Cassandra leaned against the tree beside Ymir.

"You better be worth the trouble and all those deaths, you bastard." Cassandra said. All of a sudden, her head felt like it was splitting, her vision got blurry and everything went black.

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**AN: Uh-oh, it seems like Cassandra's side effects are back. Anyways, I know this is a short chapter but I still hope you guys enjoyed this. Thanks for reading. Thanks in advance to those who will review! Ja ne!**


	12. Chapter 11: Back to the Future

**AN: Alright people! Here we are at Chapter XI! This is the moment you've all been waiting for! The moment where Cassandra gets her confirmation! Thanks to those who've reviewed to the previous chapters! They're all very much appreciated. But first off, I have decided that, even though this still has a long way to go before the ending, I have decided that this story will have 2 endings; The True Ending and The Sacrifice Ending. You guys will know what the Sacrifice Ending, which is an alternate ending, is later on. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this!**

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**CHAPTER XI:**

**BACK TO THE FUTURE**

Petra raced through the forest in a hurry, using her horse. Clara's reigns were in her hands. When they heard 3 gunshots and a yellow flare, Petra was worried. She didn't know if it was Cassandra or the hooded figure that sent that but she refused to lose someone she cared about once more. Finally, she found Cassandra by a tree. Ymir was tied to another one and her titan body was dissolving. She hopped off her horse and tended to Cassandra. Her temperature was dropping, her nose was bleeding and she was shivering violently.

"Cassandra? Wake up! Come on, you'll be okay!" She said but Cassandra gave no response. Petra took Cassandra's jacket off, loosened some of the belts and opened her shirt. She saw that the ice has advanced to her shoulder.

"Petra!" She heard someone call for her. Turning around, she saw Levi with the Squad and Commander Irvin and Hanji. Levi jumped off to help her up.

"Don't you dare run off like that again!" He yelled at her. Hanji and Armin helped Cassandra onto Hanji's horse while Irvin and Eren put Ymir on Clara.

"We ride back to Wall Rose." Irvin said. They all nodded and started to return to Wall Rose. When everyone has returned safe and sound to Wall Rose, despite the injuries, the Expedition was over and successful, thanks to the efforts of Cassandra Knight.

Hours later, Cassandra woke up in her bedroom, alone and tired. She tried to raise her left arm but it felt a little stiff. She brought her shirt down and saw that the ice has advanced to her shoulder. Cassandra noticed that it was already evening. She sat up, took her harnesses off and put on a decent new shirt before heading downstairs.

"I need a drink." She decided. Heading into the dining hall, she saw that no one was around. Probably sleeping off the Expedition. After drinking some water, she walked back to her room and lied on her bed for a while. Suddenly, she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in." Cassandra answered. Petra entered the room.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good. Arm's a little stiff."

Petra sat beside Cassandra and patted her leg.

"You have to seek treatment for the arm, Cassandra. At this rate, you won't be able to fight anymore." She said. Cassandra sighed.

"I know where I could possibly get treatment, Petra. But it's a long shot. If I could find an anomaly, I possibly can get treatment. And I could find Celeste for you." She answered.

"Get some rest." Petra said as she leaned in to kiss her forehead. After that, she left, leaving Cassandra alone. Once she was gone, Cassandra stood up and grabbed her things before writing a note to the Squad.

"_Went on a drive. If I run into an anomaly, I'll probably go in and won't be back until a couple of days. Or weeks. Or months. Maybe even years. I don't know. It depends if I find another anomaly. See ya! :)" _

Grabbing her jacket and her things, Cassandra left her room via the window by making an ice slide. According to Hanji, her car was still where they left it 3 years ago. Running towards the woods, she found her car safely hidden. Cassandra hopped on and turned the engine on. As long as there's the sun and the moon, her car was going to work. Carefully, she drove out of the place, hoping to find an anomaly. If she could, it means she can go back to her time and find out if Petra is her mother as well as get treatment. Cassandra's prayers were answered in an instant because when she made a turn there was an anomaly. It seemed weaker because it wasn't pulling her in. With resolve, she drove towards the anomaly. She went in praying that it would take her back to her time. When she got out of it, her radio, which was just giving off static earlier, started blaring music. It was daytime (1) and it was snowing. Cassandra drove back to her house and parked her car. Donning her coat and gloves, she got out of the car. There were Christmas decorations around the place. Back there, the only thing that told Cassandra that it was Christmas was the snow and it seemed a little late back there. Mustering her courage, she walked up to the door and knocked. The door was answered by her Aunt Natalie.

"Hi." She greeted. Cassandra towered over her Aunt now. Natalie touched her scarred face as if she couldn't believe that she was there.

"C-Cass?" She muttered as tears ran down her face. Natalie took Cassandra's hand and pulled her inside. Everyone was around the fireplace.

"Everyone, Cass has come home!" Natalie announced. The kids turned around and after a few seconds, ran towards her, each clinging to her legs. She noticed that the calendar said December 24.

"Cass, you're home!" Janine said joyously as they cried. Cassandra kneeled down and hugged all of them.

"I'm sorry I don't have a gift for you guys yet. I've been busy but I promise I'll make it all up for you."

"We don't care. We're just happy you're home for Christmas." Andrew said in between sobs. When they separated, Cassandra examined them as she wiped their tears away.

"You guys got big. You're 13 and 11 now, right?" She asked. The three kids nodded in reply. Rex and Duncan hugged her as well.

"Hey, boys. I hope you guys have been bringing the gold home." Cassandra teasingly said.

"Rex has. I brought a diploma home." Duncan answered as he tried not to cry. "Where were you? You disappeared for 3 years without any contact."

"I've been busy but I may have found my real mom." She answered as they stood up. Cassandra noticed that her Uncle Damon has been eyeing her warily ever since she entered.

"What are you hiding, Cass?" Uncle Damon asked her. Hesitantly, Cassandra took her jacket and gloves off. They were all shocked by how her hand has turned to ice. Damon took her hand and examined it.

"Where I've been forced me to overuse the watch to save my life. Do you have a cure for it?" Cassandra asked.

"I do. I've been improving it for the past 3 years." He answered. "I'll go get it."

"There's something else. I need your DNA tester to find out of the woman I'm friends with is my mom. Your yield immediate results." She explained as she pulled out the lock of Petra's hair from her pocket. Damon took it and a lock of Cassandra's hair before heading upstairs.

"I can't stay for long. I have to get back." She told the others. Cassandra could see the disappointment in the kids' eyes. She kneeled before them once again.

"Hey, don't look so down. I'll stay to tuck you guys in bed later, how does that sound?"

They seemed to have accepted it. Damon came down and pried the old watch off and replaced it with a new one. In an instant, the ice disappeared and turned her arm to normal. They all watched in amazement as her arm shed its ice.

"It still has the same functions that can be activated the same way. I can't fix what's wrong with your mental state but hopefully, it hasn't gotten any worse. This one's only side effect is that it very slowly deteriorates your mental state so you don't have to worry too much."

"Thank you." Cassandra said.

"Well, let's have some dinner then." Uncle Federico said. Cassandra sat there with her adoptive family for the first time in 3 years, listening to them tell stories. Thankfully, they didn't bother her about what she did. After that, the kids went to bed. As promised, Cassandra had to tuck them in. The 3 kids slept in the same room so Andrew and Andrea ran ahead while Janine was falling asleep in her arms. She put Janine in her bed while Andrew and Andrew got in theirs.

"Now if you guys are good kids, when you wake up there might be a present from Santa." She told them as she put the covers on top of them.

"When do you have to go?" Andrea asked her. Cassandra sighed before answering.

"When I get my DNA test. When did you guys find out I was adopted?"

"When you left." Andrea answered.

"Well, when you wake up I might be gone again. Good night. Merry Christmas." She greeted as she kissed their foreheads.

"Good night, Cass. Merry Christmas." They said before falling asleep. Cassandra left the room and shut the lights off.

"Cassandra." Rex greeted her.

"Yeah?"

"Uncle wanted me to give you this." He said, handing her a piece of paper. Cassandra realized that it was her DNA test. She took it and when she opened it, she nearly had a coronary upon seeing the results.

It came out positive. Petra Ral is her real mother.

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**AN: And that is Chapter XI! Alright, I'll explain what the number means and what the Sacrifice Ending is.**

**1 – Alright, when you go through the anomaly, there's a 12 hour difference between two time periods, meaning if it's night time in the past, it's day time in the future.**

**Sacrifice Ending – basically what you'd get if Damon didn't have a cure for Cassandra. How it'll go will be shown soon.**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Thanks to those who will review!**


	13. Chapter 12: To the past

**AN: ALRIGHT, CHAPTER XII! So, how did you guys like the previous chapter? This chapter is a filler chapter that will introduce a new type of anomaly. More on anomalies at the end of this chapter. Starting from here, Cassandra will now be referred to as Celeste. Also, after reading Mizuki00's review, I have decided that aside from the True Ending and the Sacrifice Ending, there will also be a Bad Ending. That's right; two alternate endings. Anyways, Thanks to those who reviewed. I hope you enjoy this!**

* * *

**CHAPTER XII:**

**TO THE PAST**

Celeste sat on the couch in the Knight Mansion, holding an ice cold bottle of beer as her adoptive family, minus the children, looked at her. They cannot believe that she has been in contact with her real parents for 3 years now. Celeste took a huge gulp of her beer as Rex and Duncan sat beside her.

"So, what's your real name?" Uncle Federico asked her curiously. She sighed before answering.

"Ral. Celeste Ral."

Again, she drank her beer as Duncan patted her back.

"Cassandra?" They heard a small voice say. They turned around and saw Janine standing there, with a box in her hands.

"Hey, Janine. What are you doing up?" Celeste asked her as she approached. She hoisted the little girl to her lap.

"You're leaving already, aren't you? Andrew, Andrea and I wanted to give you this as a Christmas gift. We saved up a lot for it." She answered as she handed her the box. Celeste took it and opened it. Inside was a golden locket and it looked expensive. When she opened it, a holographic picture of the entire family showed up. The picture from the last race she won when her parents were still alive.

"Thank you, Janine. I'll keep it with me all the time." She said as she put the locket around her neck. Janine hugged her again as she cried.

"Please don't go." She begged.

"I have to, buddy, I have to. But don't worry; when I come back, it'll be with a lot of gifts to make up for the years I missed."

Janine nodded as she separated from Celeste. Celeste wiped her tears away and handed her to Rex. Then, she picked up the new bag of clothes that her Aunt Natalie gave her. The clothes fit her 18-year-old frame perfectly. Celeste walked out of the house and hopped on her car with the DNA test safely tucked in her pocket. She drove away from the Knight Mansion and back to the woods. When she gets back to the past, she's going to tell Petra the truth and she'd start using her real name when talking to people or introducing herself. When she turned to the woods, she saw a jagged black anomaly. It looked like it was made out of broken glass. Celeste drove into the anomaly and when she got to the other side, it was already day time. Stopping her car in the woods, Celeste got out and ran back to HQ. Her window was still open but she had to create a new ladder. Climbing up, she saw that her note was gone. She was hoping they wouldn't find it.

"Shit." She muttered. When she was putting her stuff under her bed, Petra entered the room.

"Cassandra, where have you been? We were so worried." She said as she hugged the younger girl. Suddenly, all that resolve that Celeste had went away. She couldn't tell Petra the truth.

"Your arm. It's been healed!" Petra said in amazement.

"Uh…yeah…I went through an anomaly. I didn't find Celeste. I'm sorry."

Petra's smile disappeared immediately and disappointment took over.

"It's fine." She said with a fake smile. "You should get some rest."

With that, Petra left. Celeste groaned in frustration as she plopped on her bed.

'Son of a bitch, why is this so hard?' She thought. All of a sudden, a blue anomaly opened up on the ceiling. It didn't suck her in, however. Standing on her bed, Celeste put her hand in and she jumped to enter the anomaly.

Celeste hit the ground when the anomaly deposited her to the end. She was in a dark room and the only thing in sight is a door cracked open to let a little bit of light in. Celeste pulled her gun out and approached it cautiously. She pushed the door open and suddenly, she was in a bedroom. Not just any kind of bedroom but Petra and Levi's. It didn't seem like they were in HQ but in a normal house in Karanese (1). She watched Petra, sitting on her bed, holding a bundle close to her.

"Mom." Celeste whispered in amazement. Petra hasn't changed much. But she noticed that Petra couldn't see or hear her.

"How are you, Celeste? It's mommy. You know, it's only been a month since you were born but I feel happiness that would last an entire lifetime."

The older Celeste felt tears in her eyes but her pride demanded that she doesn't let them go.

"Even though I might die in the next Expedition, always remember that I love you, Celeste. So does your daddy. You're the greatest gift we ever had." Petra whispered.

'Shit. Had I really made her happy in a cruel place like this?' Celeste thought as the tears ran down her face since she was unable to hold them in any longer. Suddenly, they heard the baby Celeste laughing.

"Oh my, Levi! It's Celeste! She laughed for the first time!" Petra joyously exclaimed. Levi calmly entered the room while little Celeste was still giggling. The older Celeste could've sworn that she saw a soft smile on the Captain's face. She couldn't believe that the emotionless jackass who mistreated her and beat her up several times is her father. Levi took the baby from Petra's arms. Even though his face remained neutral, she could see the love in his eyes. The love he held for Petra and their daughter.

'If he loved me, why does he hate me so much? Is it because he's scared of me or facing me?' Celeste thought. Beside her, a jagged black anomaly opened up. Before she went in, she looked back at the scene one last time, watching Levi and Petra care for their child. The child that they would lose 2 months from this time. Turning away from the scene, she went in the anomaly.

Celeste dropped in her bed once she got to the end of the anomaly. Immediately, she stood up and ran out of the room. Checking the dining hall, she saw Petra making some tea. Steeling herself, she went in.

"Petra! Petra! I need you to sit down, now!" Celeste told her. Confused, Petra sat down.

"What is it?" She asked as she sat down. Celeste pulled out the DNA test result and slammed it on the table before sitting down. She had to make this quick before her bravery goes down the drain.

"Okay. In my time, we have this thing called a DNA test. What that paper holds is the result of it. A DNA test is how we find out if one person is related to one another. Now using a lock of our hairs, my uncle was able to find out who you really are to me." She explained as fast as she could with Petra understanding it.

"Okay? So, what?" Petra asked her.

"Read it. Go."

Petra picked the piece of paper up. The other words didn't matter to her because her eyes were on the word 'Match'. She looked at the girl in front of her for confirmation.

"It says 'Match'. You're my mother."

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**AN: I have no idea how DNA tests go so please forgive me. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Anyhoo, I'll tell you guys what the number means.**

**1 – Okay, this is purely my own creation but before Celeste was born; when Petra and Levi married, they moved to the Karanese District to raise Celeste while working in the Scouting Legion. When they lost Celeste, they went back to the former HQ.**

**And now here are the types of anomalies I created;**

**Black Anomaly – Anomaly that takes a person to the future. When they have a specific year in mind, the anomaly will deposit them there and if not, the anomaly will deposit them in a random year.**

**Jagged Black Anomaly – Anomaly that takes a person to the past. Like the Black Anomaly, if they have a specific year in mind, they will be deposited there and if not, they will be sent to a random time.**

**Blue Anomaly – An Anomaly that will take a person a past time in their life but they cannot be seen. Often shows up if their hearts wishes to see something in their life that happened during the past, even if they have no recollection of it or even if they do not know that they want to see it.**

**Red Anomaly – Anomaly that will take a person to an alternate timeline in their lives. The most dangerous of anomalies because it often shows a person the scariest alternate timeline that could've possibly happen in their lives and it often causes them to have a mental breakdown.**

**And that is Chapter XII! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Thanks to those who will review!**


	14. Chapter 13: Family Feud

**AN: Well, we're at Chapter XIII! You people will see another showdown between Levi and Celeste here. Thanks to those who reviewed! I hope you guys enjoy this!**

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**CHAPTER XIII:**

**FAMILY FEUD**

Upon hearing her say 'You're my mother', Petra launched herself in the girl's arms.

"Celeste. You're home." Petra said as she tears of joy slid down her face. Celeste hugged her back immediately, taking in her scent.

"Mom." She whispered.

"You guys can come in now!" Petra yelled. Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Hanji and Commander Irvin came in.

"How much did you guys hear?" Celeste asked as they approached.

"All of it." The Commander answered as he patted her shoulder.

"I wonder how the people are going to take it; Captain Levi's daughter, Celeste Ral, returns from the dead." Hanji said. The door flew open and Levi was there with his eyes screaming bloody murder.

"Oh, shit." Celeste muttered. As she looked at his eyes, it hit her; her dad was mad because she came back to this time instead of being safe in the future.

"What did you say, Hanji?" Levi asked. He was seething now that they have confirmation that she is his daughter.

"Levi, Celeste is home. She's been home for 3 years." Petra pointed out. The moment Celeste noticed his eyes glare at her, she knew she had to run with her tail between her legs. Fast. And far.

"Bye." She said before running out of the dining area. Lucky for Celeste, she managed to evade Levi. Once she was out to the HQ, she heard Levi yelling something out.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU STUPID BRAT!"

'Oh, I am so out of here! This is going to be a family feud!' She thought as she kept running. She was pretty far off from the HQ already. Pretty quick for someone who made a living by sitting on a fast car, isn't it? When she got to the edge of the woods where her car was, she realized something.

"This isn't gonna end until I let him beat me up, is it?" Celeste asked herself. She realized that hiding in her car probably wouldn't work. If worse comes to worse, she could show him a good fight. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath and turned around. She waited for Levi to come and in a few minutes, he did.

"Come at me, then! You want to beat me up, right? Go ahead!" Celeste told him. He clenched his teeth and attacked her with his fist. Levi hit the girl in the face and a sickening crunch was heard. Yep, he broke her nose. Celeste retaliated by punching his stomach. She was having difficulty breathing because of her nose. He punched her face again, knocking her to the ground. She kicked his chest before getting up. Before he could recover, Celeste tackled him.

"What do you want? Why do you like doing this?" She asked him. Levi flipped them over and tried to punch her but she blocked it with her arm and punched his shoulder.

"Because you're an idiot! You're already safe where you were and you had to come back!" He answered. For the first time in his life, he didn't know why he was fighting her. Was he angry at her for wanting to tell Petra the truth? Or was he angry at her for putting herself in harm's way? Probably the latter. Levi would rather she die by his hand than be eaten by a titan because of her recklessness. All this time, he knew she was his daughter but he just kept on denying it but as the years went by and he kept hearing about her recklessness and how she was so much like him, it kept getting harder and harder to deny.

"So you'd settle for killing me without any honour than me dying out there? Is that it? Spare me some dignity will you!"

Just then, it started raining. Levi clenched his fist once again and punched Celeste in the face. She punched his ribs and his face. When Levi was finally thrown off her, she stood up but she was a bit dizzy. They kept going at it for hours, throwing punches and kicks at one another while the rain kept pouring down on them. Celeste stood up and lunged at her father with her fist balled up. Levi did the same and they hit each other in the face. Both fell to the ground but neither one of them got back up.

"How long have we been fighting?" Levi asked as he lay on the ground. He can't believe it. The only one who was able to last that long against him was Ackerman and Petra. She truly is his daughter. The only one who was able to give him this much damage was Ackerman.

"Hours? Shit, I don't know anymore." Celeste answered. It's weird that they haven't been found yet. When Levi didn't say a thing anymore, she spoke up as she looked at the dark skies.

"Captain? What do you say we end this? For mom's sake?"

She refused to call him 'Dad' after everything that happened between them. She doesn't even know if she could look at him as her father.

"Alright, for your mother. I'm sure she'd hate this family feud between us." He answered. Levi wanted so badly to say how sorry he was but he was sure that his only daughter hated him. Maybe she hated him from the very beginning anyways.

"Thanks." She answered. She was having difficulty breathing thanks to her broken nose. All of a sudden, they heard it; the clopping of hooves. Celeste and Levi looked sideways and saw the squad coming towards them.

"Well, looks like you got some hell to pay." She commented. Levi nodded in silent agreement. They watched as they stopped and hopped off to run towards them.

"I'm gonna sleep for a while." She muttered. The last thing she heard was her mother yelling out for her.

'_At least, this family feud is done.' _Celeste thought before she completely lost consciousness.

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**AN: FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU! I'M SO SORRY IF THIS CHAPTER IS SHORT AND CRAP! Please forgive me. You can chew me out in the reviews section if you guys like. Constructive criticisms only please. Thank you. Thanks to those who will review.**


	15. Chapter 14: True Feelings

**AN: Okay, here we are at Chapter XIV. I have decided to add another ending called the Delusion Ending! Yep, Three Alternate Endings for my lovely readers! How does that sound to you guys? By the way, this chapter is made to add more emotion into the story. Thanks to those who reviewed and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

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**CHAPTER XIV:**

**TRUE FEELINGS**

Hours later, Celeste woke up in her bed. She was getting really tired of this shit. She realized that her shirt changed. That sorta freaked her out because in her book that was invasion of privacy.

"How are you feeling?"

Celeste looked up and saw Petra leaning by the wall. Needless to say, she doesn't look pleased.

'_Great, I'm probably the one who has to pay for something he started.'_ She thought.

"I'm fine." She answered as she rubbed her eyes.

"Why do you have the Scouting Legion insignia on your right shoulder AND your upper back (1)?" Petra asked curiously as she sat beside her daughter. Celeste looked up in confusion before she remembered. She forgot about the tattoos (2) she had. She answered the question immediately.

"When I was 14 and I was in school, I was so bored that I grabbed a pen and a paper and just started drawing all over it. It was like my hand was moving on its own accord. Minutes later, it was finished and that's how it came out as. When mom and dad died almost a year later, I had it tattooed on me because they said it was pretty cool. It was quite painful but worth it, I guess. I always thought it was familiar."

Petra smiled as she listened to her daughter's story but there was an issue she had to address regarding Celeste and Levi.

"That's nice but we need to talk. About you and your dad." She said.

"Here we go. There's nothing to talk about. He hates me, I hate him. End of story." Celeste answered as she angrily stood up.

"No, it's not the end of story. Your dad loves you, Celeste. Please just talk to him and sort your issues out. Preferably without your fists." She said. Her voice had a motherly yet strict tone.

"Look that's the Captain Jackass you knew! That was him before I left! You know, when I found out I was adopted I always knew I'd have 2 loving mothers but I'd only have 1 loving father! Well, it turns out I was right! He's incapable of love! I don't see why you married him! I don't see how you can stand him!" Celeste angrily said. Petra glared at Celeste and slapped her. She would do anything to have this family reunited but she was running out of ideas.

"Don't you dare say that about your father!"

"He's not my dad. He's incapable of love, mom. Look at the old Spec Ops Members. He left you guys for dead. If he was there, you and I both know they'd still be alive. He never loved them or you or me (3)." Celeste said, her eyes clearly showing the anger.

"Celeste, he loves you." She said once again.

"He has a funny way of showing it then. Need I remind you of what he did to me? At that Tribune when I was 15? When I got back here? Just now? Before you guys came along, we agreed to stop fighting for your sake. Not so that the three of us can hold hands, ride off into the sunset and act like a happy family and that everything is sugar and rainbows."

"Celeste-"

Celeste angrily walked away from the wall and grabbed her coat. She knew that she shouldn't get mad at her mother. It wasn't her fault why she was so angry. It was Levi's.

"You know what? He's your husband; go defend him and stick with him but as for me…well…I have two moms. One of them died. The other is alive and well and is standing in front of me and I can see that she loves me as well. As for my dad…I only have one dad. A dad who loved me. And he died with one of my moms. My dad is dead (4). That's it. End of story."

Petra's heart broke upon hearing the words come out of Celeste's lips. That she could never look at Levi as her father.

"It's just another cruel reality you'd have to accept. Same with the reality that the titans are out there." Celeste told her before leaving the room. She felt really bad for telling Petra those things. Just as she was about to go out and run into the pouring rain, she heard someone call for her.

"Celeste."

She turned around and saw Irvin standing there.

"Commander." She greeted him with a salute. He waved her off immediately and she brought her fist down.

"I heard the conversation with your mother." He said. Celeste's eyes widened. She never realized that she was that loud. "It's true. Your dad does love you."

"No he doesn't. He never has. He has no heart." She answered as she shoved her hands in her pocket.

"Come with me. You and I are going to have a little chat." Irvin said as he led the girl inside the dining hall. Petra, Armin, Eren, Hanji and Mikasa sitting there.

"Celeste, sit down." Armin addressed her as Irvin sat down. With a sigh, she reluctantly did.

"Yeah, I know I'm in big trouble. You guys gonna make me run laps in the rain without dinner now? Because I'm telling you, I'm used to that thanks to Shadis." Celeste said. She was an unruly trainee so Shadis made her pay for it.

"Celeste, shut up. We're here to talk to you about your dad." Eren said.

"Goodbye." She said but when she tried to stand up, Mikasa held her by her coat and forced her back down.

"Hear us out. We're going to tell you about your dad and how he felt when he learned that he was going to be a father. When you were born and finally when you disappeared. I'll start." Hanji said.

"Please, start already. Waste your fucking spit. It's not like I'm going to believe you anyways." She said emotionlessly with a matching glare.

'So much like Levi.' They thought at the same time. With a sigh, Hanji spoke up.

"When Levi found out that your mother was pregnant with you, he didn't show it but he was so happy. He was over the moon."

Celeste raised an eyebrow at her. Her mind was telling her not to believe Hanji but her heart was telling her the opposite.

"I didn't realize the prick was even capable of happiness but okay." She commented.

"My turn." Commander Irvin said. "While Petra was pregnant with you, your dad kept fussing over her and did everything he could to make her happy and to create a safe environment for you."

She couldn't comment on that one. It was a bit convincing than Hanji's that's for sure.

"During Petra's final stages of pregnancy, around the 8th month as I remember, we were on an expedition and it was obvious around camp that the Captain was freaking out because he wanted to be there when you were born." Eren told her with a small smile. The boy hoped it would touch her heart and finally convince her that Levi really does love her, even if he won't admit it. Hell, they all did. This time, it was Mikasa who spoke up.

"When we got back from that Expedition, we saw him rush to Commander Irvin and begged for a month long leave so that he can be there when you were born. So he can hold you immediately."

Celeste's heart was starting to get heavier and heavier as they told her these. Tears were starting to come to her eyes but she took a heavy breath to stop it.

"When you were finally born, he immediately took you from the midwives and when he came out of the room, for the first time in our lives, we saw the Captain smile and he had tears in his eyes. The Captain smiled at you and he was crying out of happiness. In the days that followed, whenever he was done with his paperwork, meetings or training, he'd immediately return to your old house in Karanese so he can spend time with you and Petra. He wanted to hold you as much as he could in case that he died in the field." Armin explained to her with a small smile like Eren's. That pretty much took the cake for Celeste. She was close to crying but her pride prevented her from doing so. After Armin, her mom spoke up.

"Celeste, when you disappeared, your father was broken inside. He acted like it didn't affect him but it was like a part of him died that day. Levi wanted nothing more than to have you back in his arms and raise you with all the love and affection he could give but when we thought you were dead, he lost the chance to do so. Levi said he wondered if you could ever forgive him for losing you and he was scared of facing you because he was so guilty for it."

Their words sunk in after a while. Celeste knew that she had to get out of there before the waterworks started. She stood up so fast that her chair almost fell.

"I-I have to go and think about what you guys said. I need-I need time to think and some fresh air." She said and she speed-walked out of the room. Celeste shoved her hands in her pockets and walked to the stables. She located where Clara was kept and entered. Clara bent her legs to stoop to her level to nudge her with her nose.

"Hey, Clara." Celeste greeted as she patted the horse. When Clara turned away, she pulled her necklace out and opened it. Celeste gazed at the faces of her adoptive parents in the holographic picture as if she was looking for an answer.

"What should I do, Mom, Dad? I'm so confused right now." She whispered. The more she gazed at their faces, the answer came to her little by little and Celeste, who never cried even when her adoptive parents died, wept. She thought her true feelings towards Levi were hatred but when she heard her comrades' stories, she started to doubt that. And now she knows the answer. While she was listening to their stories, it occurred to her that maybe the Captain did once love her and maybe he still does and he just couldn't show it because of the guilt that's keeping him tethered to the past. And Celeste realized what her true feelings were towards him.

Whether she liked it or not, there would always be a part of her heart that will love Levi as her father.

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**AN: Crap. I know but I don't know what's wrong with me. You guys can chew me out at the reviews if you like. Now, let me tell you guys what those numbers meant;**

**1 - Yes, as stated above, Celeste had that tattoo when she was 15 and they're located in her right shoulder and her upper back. Now, even though Celeste was sent to the future when she was only 3 months, she has a very, very faint recollection of seeing the insignia somewhere. When she was bored in middle school, deep in the recesses of her mind, she remembered the insignia but she didn't know it and so she drew it.**

**2 - I have no idea if they have tattoos in that time and if you have to be 18 to get one but what the hell?**

**3 - Celeste has a tendency to not think before she speaks when she's pissed. So, she obviously doesn't mean all those things that she said.**

**4 - Again, due to her anger, Celeste refuses to accept the fact that Levi is her father, preferring her father to be Raphael Knight.**

**And that's all there is to it. Thanks to those who will review!**


	16. Chapter 15: Red Anomaly

**AN: Alright, here we are at Chapter XV! I watched Episode 22 today…and I cried. Like a 4 year old. And my reaction was like "Levi, you bastard! How could you do that to Petra's body?" Anyways, this is the part where Celeste will gain access to a Red Anomaly. Let's see how well she fares against it. If you guys have read the previous chapters, you'd see the effects of a Red Anomaly, which I explained in an AN. Thanks to those who reviewed and will review. I hope you people enjoy this!**

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**CHAPTER XV:**

**RED ANOMALY**

After crying in the stables, Celeste snuck back in her room via the window and lied down in her bed. Just as she was about to fall asleep someone entered.

"Celeste?" She heard Petra call for her. When she didn't answer, Petra gently draped a towel on the girl and dried her hair. It had been raining earlier and now it was snowing.

"Please stop." Celeste requested as she watched the snow fall gently. She sounded so drained of energy. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that she'd been crying.

"You'll get sick and we have an Expedition tomorrow." Petra replied in a gentle and motherly tone. Celeste sighed in reply before burying her face in the pillow. The older woman gently hugged the 18 year old.

"So, do you still doubt the Captain?"

"I don't know. I'm so confused." She answered. Petra rubbed her back gently to comfort her. Suddenly, Hanji busted in.

"Petra, Celeste, you have to see this!"

They immediately stood up and Celeste grabbed her coat before running out of the place. When they got outside, they were surprised at the Red Anomaly in front of them.

"The Anomaly. It's Red." Armin said in amazement. Celeste walked closer to examine it. It wasn't that powerful because it wasn't sucking them in.

"I saw a blue one earlier but never a red one. The blue one took me to the time when I was just a month old but no one can see me." Celeste explained to them.

"Well, what do we do about it?" Mikasa asked them. She knew that the responsibility to investigate the anomaly would fall on her shoulders.

"I'll go in." She volunteered. Before anyone can stop her, Celeste ran in. She ended up in a branch at the Forest of Giant Trees. She almost fell when a 3DMG hook latched on to the tree inches away from her face.

"What the fuck was that?" She asked herself.

"You're not Captain Levi! Who are you?" She heard someone yell. Then, she saw them; the Former Spec Ops members were chasing down a hooded figure. Celeste realized that the Red Anomaly took her back to the 57th Expedition. The man she just saw was Gunter. She knew how this was going to end. Celeste used the watch and gave chase.

"Watch out!" She tried to warn them but they couldn't see or hear her. To their horror, Gunter was killed before their eyes. She saw her mother and Eren's horrified faces. All of a sudden, they heard something explode as they kept on going. Celeste turned around just in time just to see the Female Titan, Annie Leonhardt, emerge from the trees.

"Jesus Christ." She muttered as she went with them. She watched them bicker with Eren to prevent him from transforming.

"Transform now, Eren, please! Save the others!" Celeste yelled at him but he didn't hear her. Celeste watched as Erd and the others made him go ahead of them. She watched, unable to do anything, as they attacked the titan. It amazed Celeste.

'They're not even talking to one another. Yet they know what they're supposed to do. How did they die? They were so powerful.' She thought to herself. She watched as they blinded the Titan. Just as Erd was about to go for the killing blow, to the horror of Celeste and Eren, he was eaten and snapped in half. Celeste realized what just happened; she focused her regeneration to one eye and one eye only. Celeste snapped out of the shock in time to see her mother and Auruo panic.

"PETRA, LOOK OUT! RETREAT!" Auruo yelled at Petra. Celeste could've sworn she lost a large part of her sanity when she saw Petra get crushed to a tree.

"MOM!" She yelled in horror. When she saw Auruo, Celeste realized that her father wasn't the only one who loved her mother in a romantic way. Auruo did as well. She wasn't surprised. Her mother was a beautiful woman. When she saw Auruo's face, she saw the face of a man who lost everything he held dear in less than 20 minutes. She watched Auruo try to kill the titan but she crystallized the nape of her neck and kicked Auruo, which resulted in his death. She approached his body cautiously and saw the tears in his eyes. She crouched and rubbed her face in frustration.

"Jesus Christ." Celeste muttered. The scene terrified her. Then she saw Eren transform into a titan. His roar was loud that it would attract the attention of the other legionnaires. Celeste left Auruo's body. She heard of their families; Gunter had his parents, Erd had his mother and his girlfriend (1), Auruo had his siblings and her mom, well, the only one waiting for her was her grandfather. Celeste approached her mother and kneeled, not minding the two titans fighting. Celeste checked her pulse. There wasn't any. Yet, another part of her sanity was lost.

'This ain't real, Celeste. You went through an anomaly. This ain't real. This ain't real.' She chanted again and again and again. In her time, her mother almost snapped her neck and gained a broken arm and leg but she didn't hit a tree so she survived. In this time, her mom was kicked to a tree like a fucking soccer ball to a goal. She looked at the bodies of the former Spec Ops Members.

"This shouldn't have happened. This never would've happened if Dad was just here! He left them to die!" She yelled to no one in particular. Just then, Levi arrived. Celeste saw that he didn't show any emotions as he looked at Petra's body. All he did was close his eyes for two fucking seconds and that made her angry.

'You heartless bastard.' She thought as her father left her mother's body. All of a sudden, the scene changed. Everyone who survived was at the fields. People were getting treated for their wounds, feeding their horses, letting everything sink in. Celeste saw the rows of bodies being laid on the ground. The thing that told her that the bodies in front of her were the Spec Ops Squad Members, including Petra, were the bite marks in their hands. Her mother told her that they bit their hands once for Eren. To show him that they trusted him. She watched Levi kneel down before her mother's body and tear open the cloth that covered her.

"What are you doing?" Celeste asked him but he didn't hear her. Levi tore the badge of the Scouting Legion symbol from her coat and put it in his pocket before walking away. Their bodies were loaded into a wagon and they were moving out. She sat in the wagon until shit hit the fan. Titans were coming after them and they were too slow. Celeste couldn't hear anything for some unknown reason but she knew what they had to do to lose the titans. She watched Levi give the order to dump the bodies. Even though she couldn't hear him, she knew that was what he said.

"No! You can't do this!" She argued but she couldn't do anything. Finally, the soldier dumped all the bodies. The only one she saw, however, was Petra's body.

"NO! MOM!" Celeste yelled as tears came out of her eyes. She looked at Levi in anger but she saw the pained look in his face as he watched Petra's body hit the ground and tumble away. She jumped off the wagon and tried to run after the body but instead a jagged black anomaly appeared in front of her. Celeste unintentionally went in it straight on.

When Celeste got out of the anomaly, she tumbled on the ground. Immediately, she sat up just as Petra approached her.

"Celeste, come on. Get up." She told her but Celeste kept her gaze on the ground.

"He left them for dead." Celeste mumbled. Before anyone could ask what she meant, she got up and started walking.

"Are you okay?" Eren asked her as he grabbed her wrist, which she threw off.

"I'm fine." She answered. What she saw terrified her. While she was there, she put the pieces together and realized that the Red Anomaly takes you to an alternate timeline in your life. The most terrifying alternate to be exact. For her, the alternate timeline of her life is that she was never born because her mother died in the 57th Expedition.

"You don't look like it, Celeste." Hanji said as she grabbed her shoulder. Celeste, however, grabbed her arm and pulled it back, forcing her to the ground.

"I said I'm fine." She repeated before letting Hanji go and walking back to her room. When she entered her room, she sat down on her bed, leaning against the wall and thought about what she saw. Her sanity was starting to snap. She became paranoid of Hanji for God's sake.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with me? What's wrong with me?" Celeste asked herself again and again and again as she cried.

That night, Celeste cried herself to sleep with only one question in her mind…

.

.

.

What's wrong with her?

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**AN: And that is Chapter XV! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and that it's not too crappy for you guys. To those who haven't caught on, that bit with Petra's body being dumped in the fields was obviously taken from Episode 22. Anyways, here is what the number means.**

**1 – In Episode 22, I saw 2 women related to Erd. The older one seems to be his mother while the wiki said that the younger one might be his girlfriend. Correct me if I'm wrong or something.**

**Again, I hope you guys enjoyed! Thanks to those who'll review.**


	17. Chapter 16: Expedition II

**AN: Aaaah! Please forgive me for being so late than usual in updating. I had a literature report that I had to do in a rush and I was panicking because I was handling college stuff since I'm graduating this year so again, please forgive me. Thanks to those who reviewed and will review! I hope you guys enjoy this.**

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**CHAPTER XVI:**

**EXPEDITION II**

The next day, Celeste dragged herself to the dining hall after taking a bath. She barely got any sleep because she had nightmares about the next Expedition. When she entered the hall, Petra was preparing breakfast. Judging from the dishes in the sink, the others already woke up and had breakfast.

"Good Morning, Celeste." She greeted as Celeste sat down on a chair.

"What's so good about the morning?" She snapped. "Can I have some coffee, please?"

Petra made Celeste some coffee and handed it to her. It took her 3 minutes before she remembered; Celeste's paranoia gets worse with coffee (1).

"I thought you aren't allowed to have coffee."

"I'll make an exception. I don't want to fall off my horse later on." Celeste said as she drank her coffee and ate her breakfast. Petra stared worriedly at Celeste, since she's never acted this grouchy. She was basically as grouchy as Levi always is. It was high time that they talk about the Red Anomaly. They knew for a fact that what she saw terrified her. She almost broke Hanji's hand for God's sake!

"Celeste, what did you see in the Anomaly?" Petra asked. She knew from the start it was a bad idea and she was right; because the moment she asked, Celeste broke the cup in her hand. The shards embedded themselves in her hand and Petra immediately wiped the blood away with a piece of cloth.

"I'm fine." Celeste insisted again as she picked the shards off in her hands. Celeste turned her watch face twice and sealed the wounds off with ice.

"You obviously aren't fine, Celeste. Now tell me what's wrong!" Petra demanded as she forced Celeste to sit down again.

"Tell me what's wrong! Please!" She begged once more. Celeste put her bloodied hand towards her face as the tears streamed down.

"I saw the most terrifying Alternate Timeline of my life! I was never born! I saw how the 57th Expedition could've gone. I saw you die with the others while Dad just left you guys to die. Then I saw him give an order to dump your bodies as Titan bait!"

Petra stared at her daughter and hugged her tightly.

"I'm here, Celeste. I'm still here. You're here; we're both alive." She told her as Celeste cried in her arms. The way she spoke made Petra wonder if the Red Anomaly chipped away a part of her sanity.

"It's his fault." Celeste mumbled as she wrapped her arms around her mother's waist.

"No, it's not. We all knew what we were getting ourselves into when we joined the Legion. It's not your father's fault, Celeste. Now, go get washed up so we can go."

Celeste nodded and wiped her tears away before heading upstairs to change her shirt. When she was done, she headed to the stables to let Clara out.

"Celeste! Come on!" Armin yelled for her. She hopped on Clara and they sped off to Karanese. When they got there, people were giving her weird looks.

"See that girl? Ice Princess Cassandra. It turns out she's actually Captain Levi's daughter, Celeste."

'Never underestimate the power of gossip.' She thought. Celeste looked at Petra, but she simply shrugged.

"Shit. Who told them?" She muttered to herself. Finally, the gates opened and they rode out of Karanese. It was pretty much the same; reinforcements were taking down the Titans that can't be avoided, as usual. They kept riding until, of course, something happened. Celeste heard footsteps behind them. When she turned around, needless to say, she almost screamed like a 4 year old girl because the Armoured Titan was running towards them.

"AH SHIT!" She yelled again. They also looked back, wondering what the hell she was cursing about.

"Keep going forward." Levi said emotionlessly. Celeste prayed that this Expedition ain't another luring operation. God forbid that it is because she's going to have a chat with the Commander.

"WHAT? For fuck's sake, someone else is going to die if we lead it to where the others are!" Celeste argued. Just then, the Titan tried to swipe at her and Eren.

"FUCK! Did he really just try to swipe at me?" She asked.

"Damn. It seems they know your abilities already." Mikasa answered. So, Ymir was able to inform them after all.

'I swear to God I am going to kill that freckled Titan when I get out of this alive.' She thought angrily. Then, they saw a horde of Titans coming at them

"I don't think avoiding them is going to work this time. And I think our Reinforcements are pretty much dead already." Celeste pointed out to them

"Levi, what do we do? There aren't any buildings or tall trees around." Petra said. Turning her watch face twice, Celeste shot out a row of tall spires of ice.

"Will that work?" She asked before sending a hook towards one spike. A titan tried to make a swipe at her but she cut its fingers off before latching on its nape. Turning her watch back once, she coated her blades with fire and spun around (2) before hitting its nape. Immediately after that, she threw the blades at another Titan's eyes and replaced them mid air. Then she latched on its arm before moving to its back using ice and then shot another hook to the nape and stabbed it there. She noticed Petra and the others taking some Titans down as well, using the spires she made. Celeste went off to aid them immediately. Once all the other Titans were taken down, they called for their horses once again. Celeste hopped on Clara as they went on their way.

'Including the kills in the last Expedition, 20 solo kills and 22 team kills, all in all that's 42 kills.' Celeste thought to herself. Not enough to match her mother's record though. 18 years ago, her mother had 10 solo kills and 48 team kills. That's the highest kill record one person has mustered in the entire Legion History. Up until now, she still held it.

'Must've racked up quite some kills when I was gone.' She thought. Finally, nightfall came and they were forced to set up camp once again.

"That was pretty impressive what you did back there." Armin praised her as they walked back to their campfire with their dinner.

"Thanks, man." Celeste answered as they sat by the campfire.

"Hey, Celeste, if you don't mind me asking but what did you in the future? You said there aren't any more Titans there so what do you do there?" Eren asked as he sat down with Mikasa. She pondered on where to start but she immediately thought of what to say.

"Hmmm…Let's see. How do I explain this? Well, you guys remember that hunk of metal I was in 3 years ago? Well, in the future, we call that a car. Anyways, I have another one of them in the future but it's special. What I do in the future is car racing. I get in one of those cars and I race with 24 other people. All in all there'll always be 25 participants in each race."

"Is it dangerous?" Mikasa asked her.

"Very. But I guess that depends on your skill as a driver. Sometimes, you just can't avoid a crash. Especially in Death Races and Perk Racing." Celeste answered as Petra and Levi sat down beside her.

"What's a death race?" Armin asked her. Celeste scratched her face in wonder before answering.

"Uh…death races are one of three of the very dangerous types of races. You don't kill people but you can actually take them out. The first death race I participated in happened when I was 13. I crashed and gained this scar." She explained as she showed them the scar on her collarbone. "You can use guns there to take them out. Same with Brawl Racing. Perk Racing, however, is a different story."

"What's Perk Racing, then?" Petra asked curiously. She never thought that Celeste's profession in the future was as dangerous as fighting Titans.

"Hmmm…there are 5 types of racing; Normal, Death, Perk, Brawl and 3 stop racing. Now, Normal is just plain racing. No take outs, no guns just whoever gets to the finish line first after 10 laps. I already explained death racing. Perk Racing is decided with a roulette. If the roulette lands on 'Weapons allowed', you can have weapons obviously. That's the beauty of it. If it's 'Defences down' it's still pretty dangerous. What takes the cake is 'Weapons allowed with Defences down'. You could die there with one wrong move. Thankfully, no one has yet just injuries here and there." She explained to them.

"Well, that's only three. What about the last two?" Eren asked her. With a sigh, Celeste spoke up again.

"Brawl Racing is point based with only three laps. In Brawl Racing at one point, you'll make a stop in a battlefield. You'd have to fight and take down 8 racers for the first two laps. Until it'll get to the point where there are only two racers left. It wouldn't matter who gets to the finish line first after three laps but the points you've accumulated from taking down the racers decide the winner. It's up to you what weapons you want to use. I myself have never participated in one. 3 Stop Racing is a race where at one point you'd have to stop and switch to a motorcycle, which is more dangerous. After that, you'd have to stop again to use your car. Runs 10 laps as well."

"When did you first start racing?" Petra asked her.

"Uhh…12? Yeah, pretty much 12. Last race I've been to when I was 15 was a death race." She answered. They were all shocked. That young and already handling a dangerous profession?

"That young and you're already a champion?" Armin asked in a surprised tone.

"What can I say? I'm good at what I do." Celeste answered before standing up.

"Well, I'm going to hit the sack. Night." She greeted.

"Be careful not to get swiped by the Armoured Titan." Levi told her.

"Hey, fuck you, Captain!" She yelled back at him before continuing on.

"I didn't you were into incest, Celeste!" He teased her.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Let me rephrase that; Go fuck yourself!" Celeste replied. Petra decided that it might be time to wash the girl's mouth with soap. She gave Levi with an annoyed look but he just shrugged and kept his face as emotionless as possible. Standing up, she followed Celeste into her tent. When she entered, Celeste was almost asleep and curled up under a blanket. Poor kid. She must've been tired. Thank God she was able to talk Levi out of assigning her in lookout duty again. Petra crawled to the girl's side and patted her shoulder.

"If you're here to scold me, he started it." Celeste mumbled sleepily. Petra chuckled and kissed the girl's forehead.

"That's not it. I just came to say good night." She replied.

"Night, then. You're welcome to stay if you want." She mumbled yet again. Deciding to take her up on the offer, the older woman took her shoes of and lied down beside her.

"Good night." She repeated. Immediately after that, they both fell asleep.

While Levi was searching for Petra after talking to Irvin, he decided to check on Celeste first. To his surprise, he saw his wife sleeping with the girl. Levi watched them both; he didn't know if Celeste has forgiven him for all the beatings he gave her back then but he wanted to earn it. More than ever. With that said he took his boots off and kissed both their foreheads.

"Good Night." He whispered before falling asleep beside them.

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**AN: I know it's crap but please forgive me. I'm very sleepy right now but I hope you guys still enjoyed it. Now here's what the number means;**

**1 - I read somewhere that sometimes people get more nervous than usual when they drink coffee, so I used that fact for Celeste's paranoia.**

**2 – Celeste's special attack is the same as Levi's but her blades has fire on them.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! Good Night!**


	18. Chapter 17: Retreat

**AN: Here we are at Chapter XVII! Thanks to those who reviewed to the previous chapters! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I must say…I like blowing off schoolwork just to update this story. Again I hope you guys enjoy this!**

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**CHAPTER XVII:**

**RETREAT**

The next day, Celeste woke up as usual. When she sat up, she took off Petra's arm from her waist. She kept looking around. Her stuff was there as usual, Petra was sleeping with her arms stretched out. What Celeste was questioning was the other arm around Petra's waist?

'Last I checked, she doesn't have three arms.' She thought. When she leaned over, it hit her; there was a third person in the tent.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" She yelled. Just then, a noise grenade went off and the two adults woke up. It turns out that Levi was also sleeping in her tent. Last she checked, her mother was the only one she invited.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" Levi asked, his voice had a grouchy tone as usual.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Celeste asked him.

"I was sleeping!"

"Well, who's committing Incest now, you shitty Captain!"

"Guys, a noise grenade went off so shut up!" Petra yelled at them as she put her boots on. Celeste and Levi did the exact same thing and ran outside. There was a commotion. It was the Armoured Titan but it didn't seem like he brought company. They saw Eren try to attack its nape.

"EREN, STOP!" Celeste yelled at him but it was too late; the Armoured Titan caught Eren. His arms were pinned against him so he wouldn't be able to transform. When he had what he came for, he ran away. Celeste grabbed her 3DMG immediately.

"Someone has to go after him." She pointed out before giving chase. She took another detour to get ahead of the titan. When that was accomplished, she perched herself on a branch and summoned two large ice spikes again.

"Come on. Let teach you a lesson on the consequences of kidnapping people." She muttered angrily. When he came into her view, she noticed that he still had the unconscious Eren in his grasp. She released the spikes towards the Titan's eyes again but to her surprise, he breathed out fire like a dragon.

"Fucking hell?" She muttered. She didn't know it could do that. Her top priority was to get Eren back. She'd leave the capturing to other squads. While he was still occupied with melting the spikes, Celeste used her 3DMG to pry Eren from his grasp but it was difficult. Sticking her watch arm in an opening in his hand, she encased it in a block of ice. The sudden attack forced him to let Eren go. Using an Ice slide, she caught him and made her way back to camp. Unfortunately, she can hear the Armoured Titan after them.

"Hey, you ugly bastard!" They heard someone yell. Turning around, Celeste saw a man with short blonde hair, leading a squad of soldiers. She's only saw him once, but Celeste knew who he was; Jean Kirschtein.

"Get out of here, kid. We got this." She heard another person say. Looking up, she saw another group of soldiers led by a bald man and a brunette girl with her hair tied in a ponytail; Connie Springer and Sasha Braus.

"I'll come back to help. I swear." Celeste replied before continuing on. Those people were from Eren's trainee squad; the 104th.

"Celeste!" She heard someone yell. Looking up she saw the Spec Ops Squad coming towards her. When Mikasa and Armin were in front of her, she immediately handed Eren over to them.

"Get him to safety. He's who they're after." She said. When she was about to leave, Armin held her wrist.

"They're after you too, Celeste. Or have you forgotten that?" He asked her but Celeste threw him off.

"The other members of the 104th are leading soldiers there, Armin. I have to help them." She answered before using her 3DMG once more to go back. As she went, Petra stared worriedly at her. Her recklessness will be the death of her.

'That kid; she won't last long with that kind of attitude.' She thought before she followed after Celeste.

"Bring Jaeger back to camp. I'll follow them." Levi ordered the other two before leaving.

When Celeste arrived at the battlefield, she was terrified by the sight. There were bodies of soldiers strewn about the forest floor. Suddenly, a flash of the 57th Expedition flashed within her mind's eye. She was about to throw up but held it in. Instead, she steeled herself and turned her watch face back once. Setting her blades on fire, she let out a battle cry. One so loud that people would think a Titan was yelling. Jean, Connie and Sasha turned and to their surprise, saw Celeste with her blades on fire, latching on to nape of Reiner's neck and violently hacking it.

"Is she insane?" Connie asked them but the other two just shrugged. When they saw that Reiner was going to attack her, they immediately moved to distract him.

"You bastard. I'll make you pay. Countless soldiers are dead because of you." Celeste muttered as she kept hitting the nape but Reiner kept hardening it. She failed to notice Reiner's left hand creeping towards her though.

"Celeste!" She heard her mother yell at her. When she looked up, she saw Petra flying towards her and the Titan's hand.

"STOP!" She yelled but she was too late. She felt herself flying but thanks to her quick thinking, she was able to latch her hook onto a tree but her leg was a bit damaged due to its impact to the tree. Celeste looked up in time to see the Armoured Titan hold Petra in front of him. When he saw that she wasn't Celeste or Eren, he threw her away like trash. Celeste stared in horror, turned her watch face twice and created an ice slide. Unfortunately, she was a bit late and barely caught Petra. That caused the ice to give out beneath them and they fell down. They were still a bit high so it was little painful. When they hit the ground, they tumbled and hit a tree. Celeste forced herself up and examined Petra.

"No. No way." She muttered. Petra was bleeding out of her head and she was unconscious. Celeste pressed her ear to her chest. There was still a heartbeat but it was faint. Looking back at the battlefield, she saw that Reiner was retreating. Knowing that there was nothing else she could do, she focused her attention to Petra.

"MEDIC!" She yelled out, hoping someone would hear her. Someone came down all of a sudden. Celeste saw that it was Sasha Braus.

"Please, you got to help her." She begged. Sasha immediately grabbed her flare gun and sent out a purple flare. Celeste nervously kept checking on Petra's heartbeat until a medic cart came. The medic loaded Petra onto the cart and helped Sasha, who had an injured leg, in. Celeste followed immediately and they headed back for camp. When they got there, a lot of people were getting treated for their injuries and it seems that Levi, Jean and Connie beat them back to camp. A doctor immediately took her to a medic tent and they were told to wait outside. Just then, Commander Irvin yelled something out.

"We're going to retreat for now!"

With that said, everyone packed up their things, put the wounded and the dead in the carts, got in their horses and left. When they reached the fields, as usual, shit hit the fan.

"Titans!" A soldier yelled.

'Damn it. It's like there's no fucking end to them.' Celeste thought to herself.

"Celeste, don't even think about it." Armin told her. She was about to retort but pain shot up her leg all of a sudden. She looked back and saw more soldiers taking the Titans down. Celeste has never felt so useless before. All because of her stupid leg, she can't help those risking life and limb in taking the Titans down. After a while, they finally arrived back in Wall Rose. This time, however, the scent of failure lingered among them.

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**AN: And that is Chapter XVII! I hope you guys liked it. I'm sorry if it wasn't much but I still hope you people enjoyed it. Thanks to those who will review.**


	19. Chapter 18: Forgotten

**AN: Okay, here we are at Chapter XVIII! I know I updated later than usual but anyways, this is the start of the Forgotten Arc. It's going to be a short arc, mind you. I hope this chapter is enough to get you guys aboard the feels train but if it doesn't, it doesn't. Thanks to those who reviewed on the previous chapters and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter…though I'm wondering if someone is still reading this…**

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**CHAPTER XVIII:**

**FORGOTTEN**

Celeste should be accustomed to this; it's happened to her before when she'd crash on races. She's been through the walk of shame but why did this make her feel so bad?

"Heh…looks like they're back again." A man said.

"These Expeditions are a waste of time and money." A woman said.

"A Fool's Errand, I tell you." Another one said. Back in her trainee days, she would've agreed with them but now, it made her so angry. A lot of people died for Humanity's sake. To free them from these cages the people call Walls. They were the Fools; for thinking these Walls would keep them safe.

'It's like they haven't learned from Shiganshina or Trost. The living should be grateful to the dead for putting their lives on the line.' She thought as she clenched her jaw. Celeste looked to her left and saw Petra and Eren in a medic cart. Now, she knows the reason why she felt bad; her mother. She only realized it now but the guilt was slowly eating her up.

"Shit." She muttered to herself.

"I guess not even the Ice Princess was of use this time." A man said. Celeste looked at him with a glare and was about to stomp over there with Clara but she felt a hand at her shoulder. Looking back, she saw Hanji shaking her head. Deciding to let it go, they continued on. Irvin and Levi would probably get called back to Sina. Once they were out of Karanese, the soldiers were brought back to the clinics to be healed. Levi, however, ordered the medic to bring Petra and Eren back to HQ and that was what they did.

When they returned to HQ, Petra was brought to a different room to be examined by a doctor while Eren was brought to his own room. They freshened up and after bathing, Celeste went to Petra's room and stayed with her while The Doctor continued his examinations.

"How is she, Doc?" She asked him as she held Petra's hand.

"She'll live but she hit her head hard. I don't know how that'll turn out for her. It could either be Retrograde or Anterograde Amnesia or maybe she'll still be the same." He answered. Just then, Levi entered the room.

"She'll live, Cap." Celeste told him, still refusing to call him dad. The Doctor exited the room, leaving Levi and Celeste alone. Until nightfall came, they both sat there, holding both her hands.

"Tell her something." Levi ordered her. "Something that'll wake her up."

Celeste hesitated for a while but started speaking.

"Uh…mom? It's me, Celeste. Can you wake up? Can you come back to us?"

She received no response from the woman so Celeste kept talking.

"Oh, I get it; you won't wake up until you get a kiss from your prince, eh? Just like in those Fairy Tales." Celeste jokingly said. "I'd rope The Captain into that idea but I doubt he'd do it. You know how frigid he is."

Celeste stopped talking for a while but continued again.

"Mom, please don't forget us. I'm begging you."

Celeste knew it was her fault why her mother was risking amnesia thanks to her head injury. She knew it was her fault why this was happening.

'If only I wasn't so fucking reckless.' She thought as she balled the sheets in her fists but she refused to cry.

"Do you still believe in those, Celeste? You still believe in Fairy Tales?" Levi asked her. She shook her head immediately.

"I never did." Celeste replied as she slowly took her mother's wedding ring off. Should she get amnesia, a ring is one thing she doesn't need. It would only confuse her.

"Captain, should she forget, what do we do?" Celeste asked Levi. He sighed and thought about it. He felt like a failure. He felt like a failure as a Squad Leader, he felt like a failure as a husband and he didn't need a genius to tell him that he was already a failure as a father.

"We let her remember on her own. Don't force her memories back to her." He answered. Levi wondered if that kiss would work. He leaned in and he pressed his lips to his wife's hoping it would wake her up.

"I love you." Levi whispered to Petra. Celeste was shocked, needless to say. She always thought that her father didn't have a heart ever since she first saw him but when he's with her mom, it makes her see that maybe he does have a heart. She noticed Levi sit down when he didn't receive any reaction. They sat there for a few seconds until Petra's hand twitched in Celeste's grip. Her head shot up immediately.

"Mom?" She called. After a while, her eyes opened.

"Petra." Levi greeted as he stared in surprise.

"Captain?" She called for him. Celeste rushed out immediately.

"DOCTOR!" She yelled out. The Doctor rushed in and examined her.

"Ms. Ral, how are you feeling?" He asked her.

"My head hurts."

"What do you remember?"

Petra tried to recall. The last thing she remembers is the death of the others at the hands of the Female Titan and almost breaking her neck at the 57th Expedition.

"The 57th Expedition? How did it go?"

The Doctor stood up and fixed his glasses.

"Anterograde Amnesia. It's best to bring her to places where she can remember things on her own." He said before leaving. Levi approached her while Celeste stayed by the window.

"Petra, the 57th Expedition happened 18 years ago." He told her bluntly. Petra was shocked.

"I've been asleep for 18 years?"

"No. The recent Expedition landed you in an accident when you pushed me away. You hit your head pretty hard and you're suffering Anterograde Amnesia." Celeste explained as she approached them.

"Oh. Hello. May I ask who you are?" Petra asked. She sighed before answering. Guess she'd have to use her former last name again.

"Knight. Celeste Knight." She answered before holding her left hand out. "I'm the new Squad Member. I joined about a week ago."

"Oh, nice to meet you then, Celeste." Petra said as they shook hands. After that, Celeste let her hand go.

"I have to go. See you around." She said before walking out of the room. When she closed the door, she took a deep breath and leaned against the wall.

"EREN! MIKASA! ARMIN!" She yelled. The three immediately came upstairs.

"What? What is it?" Eren asked.

"Mom has amnesia and I don't want her to feel weird bunking with The Captain since the last thing she remembers is the 57th Expedition."

"Well, what do you want us to do?" Armin asked him.

"Move her stuff to the spare room next to mine." Celeste ordered them. The three nodded and she walked past them.

"Thanks. I'm going for a walk." Celeste said as she went downstairs. She walked out of the HQ with only one destination in mind.

When Levi walked out of the room after Petra has fallen asleep once again. He saw Ackerman and Jaeger moving Petra's things from their room.

"What the fuck is going on here?" He asked.

"Celeste told us to move Petra's things to another room so she won't get confused on how things are now because of her memory loss." Armin answered him as he carried a box.

'That kid; why would she do this without asking me first?' Levi thought to himself.

"Where is she?" He asked.

"She said something about going out on a walk." Eren said as he moved another box of Petra's things to the Spare Room. Levi walked out of the HQ to find his estranged and wayward daughter.

Celeste was driving out of the woods as fast as she could in her anger while yelling her head off in frustration. She wasn't driving to find an Anomaly though, just to let her anger out, get some fresh air and go star gazing. In her frustration, she just kept driving beyond her usual speed limit. When she was at the desired area, she made a sharp turn before stopping the car. Then, she brought the roof down and reclined her seat. After that, she just stared at the stars.

'I don't see stars like these in the future anymore.' She thought to herself. Celeste heard someone get in the passenger seat with her and saw Levi sitting in the car.

"What do you want now?" She snapped at him.

"Nothing." Levi answered her emotionlessly.

"Nothing usually means something."

Levi rolled his eyes in frustration. She can read him easily like a book. Just like Petra.

"Don't get snippy with me, you brat. You were about to cry earlier but you held it in. Why?" He asked.

"I don't cry. I didn't cry when my mom and dad died. I didn't cry then, I sure as hell ain't crying now." Celeste answered. Okay, that obviously wasn't true; she cried when the squad members told her about how Levi felt towards her when she was born but she's not letting him find that out.

'Of course you wouldn't.' Levi thought to himself. He closed his eyes and leaned back on the seat. When Celeste was born, one of his biggest fears was that she would grow up to be like him; every emotion, except anger, always locked away. Not crying whenever she's supposed to cry. When he and Petra got married, he tried his best to let his emotional walls down when he's with her but sadly, he can barely do it.

"You want to kill me, don't you?" She asked him.

"Your mother would kill me if she remembers who we are to her now and you're dead by then." He deadpanned.

"Doesn't change the fact that you'd like to kill me. Not that I'm complaining. It's my fault anyways." She replied as she set her chair back upright.

"It's not your fault." Levi told her.

"Yes, it is! If only I wasn't reckless, she never would have gone to my aid! Mom never would've gotten injured if it wasn't for me!" Celeste yelled as she gripped the steering wheel so tight to stop herself from crying. She was surprised when she felt a hand on her head. Celeste looked to her right and saw Levi covering his face with his right hand.

"When you disappeared, it almost killed me. The only person who held me together was your mother." He explained to her. Celeste kept her gaze at him and wondered if he was trying not to cry as well.

"It wasn't your fault, Celeste." Levi repeated. "I don't know who to blame but it's most likely my fault."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because it's my responsibility to keep my squad safe but most of all, she's my wife and you're my daughter. I'm supposed to keep the two of you safe. I love you, Celeste and I love your mother. I'm sorry I couldn't keep her safe but I want you to cry as much as you want because she wouldn't want you to keep it all in."

Celeste was about to cry when she noticed the small tears threatening to leave his eyes. Celeste could see that his poker face was on par with Mikasa's but when she gazed into her father's eyes, she could see the pain, anguish and sadness in them.

"You're quite the hypocrite, aren't you? You want to cry too." She said as she finally released her tears. Celeste felt her face against his chest and his arms around her.

"Someone has to be strong and that's not your burden to bear." Levi told her. At that moment, Celeste cried in her father's arms. She would've told him to cry with her but he wasn't the one who was forgotten. He and her mother still had their superior-subordinate relationship. Usually, Celeste Ral didn't cry but one of her biggest fears in life is now staring her in the face…

.

.

.

She was crying because she didn't want to be forgotten.

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**AN: And here is Chapter XVIII! Did it get you guys aboard the feels train? I hope it did. I hope you guys enjoyed this as well. Thanks to those who reviewed and will review!**


	20. Chapter 19: Road to Recovery

**AN: Chapter XIX and part two of I-have-no-idea-how-many of the Forgotten Arc! I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter and Thanks to those who reviewed.**

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**CHAPTER XIX:**

**ROAD TO RECOVERY**

While Petra was sleeping, she dreamed. She was dreaming blurry snippets of her life for the past 18 years. She dreamt of a black portal, visiting that girl, Celeste, while she was training and Celeste and Levi fist fighting. All of a sudden, she woke up. She realized that the sun was up. Petra immediately got up, took a bath and put her clothes on. Heading to the kitchen, she made breakfast for the others. Levi told her that Armin and Mikasa replaced Erd and Gunter and that until Celeste came along, they weren't able to find a suitable replacement for Auruo. By suitable, he meant someone who can rack up a bunch of solo kills and not a lot of team kills (which she does a bang up job of) and not a mimicking jackass but apparently she fits the jackass part as well. Petra snapped out of her musings when someone came in. Looking behind her, she saw that it was just Celeste, whose bloodshot eyes could make anyone from the future think that she was smoking weed when in truth it was just from crying.

"Good Morning." She greeted.

"What's so good about the morning?" The younger woman snapped. Oh, she fits asshole part well, alright but something about that statement made Petra halt in her movements; why does she feel like she's heard that before. Shaking it off, she continued cooking.

"Can I have some coffee?" Celeste requested. All of a sudden, another memory came back to Petra.

"_I can't have coffee. I'm good with water, Miss Petra."_

"_Oh, health problems?"_

"_Not exactly but coffee makes me way more paranoid than I already am. I don't know if that's classified as a health problem."_

"Are you allowed to have coffee?" Petra asked her. Celeste's head shot up immediately. Was she starting to remember already?

"Uh…I'll make an exception." She answered as she rubbed her eyes. Suddenly, a cup of coffee was set in front of her as well as some food. Celeste and Petra started eating.

"You're starting to remember, aren't you?" Celeste asked and the older woman nodded.

"How did you know?"

"Oh, we've danced this coffee dance before. If you don't remember me, you would've given me coffee without question." She answered. She's good, Petra can give her that.

"Um…would you like to take a walk with me?" Petra asked.

"I would love to." She answered with a small smile. When they were done with breakfast, they left the HQ and walked away from it, talking about Celeste's training as they went.

"So, why did I always visit you when you were training?" Petra asked her. Celeste thought of an excuse immediately.

"Commander Smith's orders." Okay, maybe it wasn't an excuse. "I was kind of unique, in a way."

"How so?" She asked.

"Close your eyes." Celeste ordered her. Petra did so and suddenly, she felt something cold in her hands.

"Open them."

When she did, Petra saw an Ice sculpture of the Scouting Legion Emblem in her hand.

"That's not even how far my uniqueness goes. Keep it. It would never melt." Celeste said as they kept walking.

"Did I ever tell you about my dad? I wonder how he is." Petra said. The younger woman froze in her tracks. Her grandfather was a touchy subject for her mother. She knew because Petra told her about him once when she was visiting during her training.

"Uh…yeah…well, you see as of this year, your dad's been dead for 15 years." She answered. Petra told her that when she was 16, meaning he died when she was 3.

"What?" Petra asked. She couldn't remember how her dad died or if she was even at his funeral. She sat on a boulder as she cried.

"Hey, come on now. Don't cry. You-you were there at his funeral. He died because he was sick. Don't cry and wipe that frown off. It doesn't suit your face." Celeste said as she wiped Petra's tears away with her handkerchief. The moment she said that, another flurry of memories came to Petra; she was in the woods, talking to Celeste, who had wounds in her face. Wounds that told her that she just came from a fist fight. Probably the fist fight with the Captain. She gripped her head and shook the headache off.

"Hey, you okay? Want to head back?" She asked.

"No. No, let's keep going." Petra said as they kept on walking. They talked about things like how their lives were before they joined the Legion. For Celeste, it was like she was getting to know her again. She even got to know a thing about her grandmother, like how she taught Petra how to cook or that she taught her that awesome coffee recipe. Back then, she never got the chance to ask about her grandmother. In return, Celeste told her half the truth about her life; that she was adopted by a wealthy family from Wall Sina. Okay, maybe that wasn't even half true but she was adopted and her adoptive family was rich. When they got to the woods where they found Celeste, more of Petra's memories came back. This time, she remembered a black portal, putting Celeste on the ground and taking her back to HQ.

"Hey, you remember something?" Celeste asked her and she nodded.

"I do. A black portal. What is it?" She asked.

"You'll remember on your own time." She answered. "Let's get back. It's getting dark."

Celeste held her hand out to Petra who took it and they started walking back to HQ.

'This is good. She's remembering at an unusually fast pace but come to think of it, if she remembers, Dad and I are going to be skinned alive for lying to her.' Celeste thought as she looked at Petra 'Meh, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it, I guess.'

It'll be a long road to recovery but she swears that she'll help her mother to remember their real bond to one another.

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**AN: And that is Chapter XIX! Sorry if it's a bit short but I hope you guys still enjoyed this chapter of mine. Thanks to those who reviewed to the previous chapters and to those who will review to this one.**


	21. Chapter 20: A Night in Utopia

**AN: Time skip! Okay, so this is Chapter XX! I hope you guys liked the previous chapter. So, part three of I-still-have-no-idea-how-many of the Forgotten Arc (doesn't really focus on Petra but still part of it) takes place 3 months after the previous chapter, which took place in the last week of December, meaning this chapter takes place in the last week of March. Also, in this chapter I will tell you what I think drove Levi to being a thug before the Scouting Legion. Anyways, thanks to those who reviewed and will review here. I hope you guys enjoy this.**

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**CHAPTER XX:**

**A NIGHT IN UTOPIA**

3 months since that day, Celeste entered the HQ after taking a walk outside before the sun came up. Once she was done taking a bath, she headed for the kitchen and saw her dad sitting there with Petra both having coffee and breakfast.

"Good Morning, Celeste." Petra greeted her. Celeste gave a nod and grabbed a glass of water. She's been laying off coffee ever since Hanji put a spider on her bed as a prank and she punched the scientist in the face.

"Morning." She greeted back as Petra dragged her to the table to eat some breakfast.

"So, how are you feeling?" Petra asked her. Ever since 3 months ago, Petra hasn't made that much progress with getting her memories back. It was a relief that she remembered that Celeste came from the future but she still doesn't remember that she was married to Levi or that Celeste was their daughter.

"I'm good." Celeste answered as she ate. The three of them sat there in idle silence until Levi spoke up.

"Oh, Celeste, Hanji wants you to go to her lab in Trost later."

Celeste froze up upon hearing that. Ever since the spider incident, her trust of Hanji kind of went down.

"Why should I go? For all I know there could be a bunch of spiders there." She retorted.

"You can stand up to Titans, I'm pretty sure you can stand up to a bunch of Spiders." Levi said as he drank his coffee.

"Have you forgotten what happened 2 months ago? I had to get Armin up there!" Celeste reminded him as she finished eating.

"Go now. That's an order." He said. Celeste rolled her eyes and stood up.

"Celeste?" Petra called for her. She turned back immediately with a questioning look on her face.

"Happy Birthday." She said. Celeste smiled and nodded.

"Thanks." She answered as she went out the door. Her birthday was on March 25 so it was her 19th Birthday.

'I can't believe it's been 4 years already.' She thought to herself as she walked to stables.

"Come on, Clara. Time to visit the Crazy Scientist." She muttered as she hopped on Clara's saddle. They rode out to Trost and headed for Hanji's lab, which was also her squad's base. She entered immediately after tying Clara's reigns to make sure she wouldn't go anywhere.

"Hanji! Where are you, you crazy scientist?" She called around. Suddenly, Moblit came running down the stairs.

"Where is she, Moblit?" She asked immediately and Moblit just pointed upstairs. Celeste gave a frustrated groan and headed upstairs.

'Damn Scientist, making me come here on my birthday.' She thought as she entered Hanji's room. The room was dark because the windows were closed.

"Oh, crap." She muttered. Suddenly, she heard Hanji laughing.

"Hanji, I swear to God. If you put a Spider on my head again on my fucking 19th Birthday I will end your life!" Celeste said. Suddenly, the window opened and there was Hanji.

"Actually, I was just thinking of sticking this Syringe down your neck but it's your 19th birthday, already?" She asked. She rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Yes, it's my 19th."

With that, Hanji sat down on her bed.

"Wow. I remember back when you were just a little baby who looked so much like your mommy in your daddy's arms." She said. The blonde 19 year old rolled her eyes in frustration.

"What do you want? A trip down memory lane?" She asked. That snapped Hanji back to reality.

"Okay. I received permission from Eren and Commander Irvin and they said I could give this to you." Hanji said as she stuck the syringe on Celeste's right shoulder and injected the red liquid in. It took a while before Celeste realized what was going on.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?"

"Eren's blood. It's an Experiment." She answered with a crazy smile.

"You didn't get my permission or my dad's did you?" She asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Hehe…your dad will say no and kill me if he finds out about this." Hanji replied.

"I'm ready to kill you. Eren's blood has some sort of weird, mysterious serum that turns him into a fucking Titan and you put it on me? What are you trying to pull, Hanji?" Celeste asked angrily. She cusses like Levi when she's pissed. Hanji took the syringe out immediately.

"Okay, done. You can go." She said. Without another word, Celeste made a beeline for the door and left the lab. Hopping on Clara once again, she left Trost immediately.

'Dad is going to kill her.' She thought as she rode back to HQ. When she arrived, she stuck Clara in the stables once again and entered the building.

"Celeste, you there?" Armin called for her from the kitchen.

"Yeah, I'm back." She answered as she entered. When she entered, Commander Irvin was there and the whole squad was sitting around the table. Giving a quick salute, she sat down when he made her sit down.

"Alright, Celeste, first off, Happy Birthday. And secondly, we're going somewhere this evening." The Commander said.

"What? Where are we going?" Celeste asked them.

"To Utopia (1)." He answered immediately. Celeste hated Utopia; it was full of rich, stuck up nobles. The only noble she liked was Historia.

"Okay, why?" She asked.

"Fundraising ball for the three Military Divisions." Levi answered.

"Goodbye." Celeste answered as she stood up but Armin and Petra prevented her from leaving.

"You're all going. And the ladies have to wear a dress." The Commander said. She groaned in frustration before banging her head on the table. Another reason not to go.

"Can I not go? I'll do the Captain's paperwork." She offered but they all shook their head.

"Come on, Celeste. It's your birthday. You should get out and have fun." Eren said, while Mikasa, Armin and Petra nodded in agreement.

"But I don't want to go. I don't want to kiss some noble ass for funds." She moaned yet again.

"You're going. That's an order." Levi said. Again, she banged her head on the table.

"It'll be fun, Celeste. Every noble man there will be clamouring for a dance with the Ice Princess." Petra pointed out. Again, Celeste stood up.

"I'm going to take a nap." She said as she walked out of the dining hall and headed for her room to get a much needed nap.

Hours later, while Celeste was sleeping in her room, Petra decided to come in and wake her up. The scene looked awfully familiar to her; Celeste sleeping with her mouth hanging open a bit. She felt a connection to the girl the moment she saw her.

"Celeste, wake up." She whispered. The girl immediately woke up and sat up in her bed.

"Petra? What's up?" Celeste asked as she rubbed her eyes. Petra held out a dark blue folded dress with some shoes in front of Celeste.

"Don't tell me. I still have to go?" She asked and Petra nodded.

"What? Did you think going to bed will make the Captain change his mind?"

"Of course, I didn't." She answered.

"Don't worry. They have sleeves so your tattoos are pretty much covered." Petra whispered with a wink.

'She remembers the tattoos. Joy.' Celeste thought to herself. Come to think of it, her dad doesn't know a thing about the tattoo. He'd probably skin her alive for that. Celeste stood up and headed for the bathroom and took a bath before changing into the dress. It reaches up to her knees and actually covers her tattoos.

"At least, it's not too revealing." She muttered to herself before putting the shoes on. She could swear they're freaking death traps.

'Time to lose some dignity, I guess.' She thought to herself before walking out of the bathroom and heading for the dining hall. When she was about to enter, she saw that the men were already waiting for them. Levi, Eren and Armin were wearing identical black suits. When Celeste was going to turn around to make an escape, she was shoved in by Mikasa.

"Don't even think about it." The older woman told her. Mikasa was wearing a black knee length dress and as usual, her scarf was always around her.

"Fix your hair, Celeste." Levi told her.

"What? In the future, chicks and guys alike dig my messy hair." She said with a smile.

"Fix it. That's an order." He said emotionlessly.

"Oh, now that's abuse of power." Celeste said as she sat down. Honestly, she just had no idea how to tie her hair and eventually, her messy hair became a trademark of hers. Just then, Irvin and Hanji came in with Petra. Irvin wore a suit identical to the men while Hanji wore a green dress and Petra wore a red cocktail dress. Celeste nudged her father and subtly gestured towards her mother. He responded with a cold look towards his daughter.

"So, are you guys ready to go?" The Commander asked and they all nodded. Celeste reluctantly stood up and followed the adults out of the room.

'This is going to be the worst night of my life.' She thought.

About 2 hours after they arrived in Utopia and where the ball was being held, Celeste only has one thing in her mind…

'This is the worst and most disturbing night of my life.'

Seriously, in the 19 years that she's been alive, she has never been put in a situation like this. On one corner, Eren, Armin and Hanji were pigging out on the sweets (Okay, maybe Hanji was. Eren and Armin have the decency to eat like normal people), Irvin was mingling with other nobles, Mikasa was sulking on one corner like a creepy person and Petra was sitting on a chair, observing the people around her.

What Celeste wasn't expecting was her dad mingling with other nobles as well.

'And I'm just standing here, drinking Vine (2). Well, as long as I don't have to lodge my nose up their asses, I guess.'

And with that, she drank the Vine in her cup. Anyone who says she's too young for Vine can go suck it. When she was done, she put the glass on a passing waiter's tray and was about to make a move for the other glass of Vine but a hand shot out and stopped her. Looking to her right, she saw Levi.

"I think you've had enough." He said sternly.

"I'm not drunk yet." She answered.

"And I'm not letting you get drunk." Levi replied. Okay, anyone except her father can go suck it.

"You know, I was surprised; never pegged you for the sociable type." Celeste told him as she continued to lean on the pillar she was standing beside.

"I don't but sometimes you have to kiss some asses. Don't you have parties like these after those races you compete in? I'm pretty sure you socialize then, why don't you socialize now?" He said.

"I don't socialize in those parties either." She replied. "Why don't you ask her for a dance?"

Levi followed her gaze immediately, which landed on Petra. Celeste immediately knew that he wasn't going to do it. Fortunately for her, none of the nobles kept gushing on and on about how the Ice Princess resembled Captain Levi's Second in Command. Or the fact that the said Second in Command was married to Captain Levi.

"If you can't ask her for a dance, how the hell did you ask her to marry you?" She asked him to which he gave no reply but he simply clicked his tongue. They observed the people dancing and eating and mingling around. Every once in a while, Celeste would refuse a noble who would ask her for a dance. Petra was right; every guy was clamouring for a dance with her because they came every 3 minutes. Like clockwork. They watched Petra dance with a young noble and Celeste can see the jealousy in her dad's face. Suddenly, a woman (who was a couple inches shorter than her dad) approached Levi. Celeste recognized the woman as someone who came from a noble family who supported the Scouting Legion.

'And he's gonna kiss some ass.' She thought. While Levi was looking away, she grabbed another glass of Vine. Celeste watched as the woman dragged her dad away for a dance. This didn't avoid Petra's eyes either, who had a sad look in them and maybe even a little bit of jealousy as well. Celeste kept observing them, seeing if anything fishy could happen with their respective dance partners.

And something did. Because once the dance ended, Levi's dance partner kissed him. That small smile that Celeste has gradually turned into a frown and she walked out to the balcony with her glass of vine. The moon was out tonight and so were the stars. Celeste looked down at the glass, feeling frustrated by what she saw. Not only that, but the stress of keeping her real relationship with her mother is taking its toll on her.

"They probably wouldn't miss this glass." Celeste thought to herself. In her frustration, she broke the glass in her grip. Like before she removed the shards from her hand and let the ice seal the wounds. With a frustrated sigh, she buried her face in her hands, feeling a loss for what to do.

While Celeste was having her emo time in the balcony, Levi separated himself from his dance partner the moment the song ended. He saw the look on Petra's eyes and it brought him hope; maybe she was starting to remember him as her husband. Even though he knew he was married, kissing that woman reminded him of his days as a thug. Being able to be with any woman he wanted. While he was walking, he was cornered by Irvin and Hanji.

"Levi, have you seen Celeste?" Irvin asked. His voice told Levi immediately that he was hiding something.

"Yeah, you're her dad, shouldn't you be watching over your daughter in a party?" Hanji asked. Come to think of it, he hasn't seen Celeste since he was whisked away to dance.

"No. She's 19. She can take care of herself." He said emotionlessly. Levi remembered that he still hasn't greeted her a Happy Birthday.

"Celeste is in the balcony. I'm pretty sure she wasn't pleased with what she saw." Hanji said with a sly smile. Levi knew that didn't spell good news for him. Heading for the balcony, he saw Celeste standing there.

"Celeste." He called for her.

"What do you want?" She asked him. Celeste was still seething with anger with what she saw.

"What you saw. I know you're mad-"

Celeste immediately turned around. He saw the pure anger in her eyes.

"Mad? I am beyond mad. I am furious, dad." She answered him.

"I didn't even ask for it." He replied emotionlessly.

"Of course you didn't but standing there and just taking it isn't exactly my ideal view of husband and father. You're a married man yet you didn't do anything about it." Celeste countered.

"How do you know your mother isn't even doing the same thing now?" Levi asked her angrily. That made Celeste snap.

"Alright, Mom, I can understand if she does that but I highly doubt that but you? It's like you're going back to who you were."

That statement made Levi snap as well.

"What do you know about me?"

"I know everything, Mr. Big Time Thug. I have my ways of garnering information. What? You think I didn't know; if you weren't mugging nobles, you were sleeping around with random bimbos." She answered with a sadistic smile in her face. Levi's eyes widened; another thing he feared ever since she was born was that Celeste would eventually find out who he really was and what he really did before the Scouting Legion.

"That was before I met your mother." He replied. "Why are you so affected by this anyway?"

Celeste just turned away from him. The reason why she was so affected was that she's also had her fair share of bad luck when it comes to romance. When she was 14, she had a guy whom she thought was going to stick by her forever. But sadly, he didn't. Maybe partly because it was also Celeste's fault for choosing her racing career instead of him. But that never meant she didn't love him. And seeing that there was a possibility of that happening to her parents when she just found them made her feel like she was losing them again. Taking a deep breath, she faced him once more.

"None of your fucking business, dad."

"No, you're my daughter. It's my fucking business." Levi retorted as he grabbed her wrist, which she just threw off.

"I'm done. I'm going home." Celeste answered before walking back inside. Petra, Irvin, Hanji, Armin, Eren and Mikasa watched as she left the building, talked to the coachman, got in and left the party.

Hours later, Celeste was sleeping in her room when Levi came in. Everyone just got back. The Scouting Legion pretty much got a big fund tonight. Levi sat down on the sleeping girl's side and gently shook her.

"Wake up, you snippy brat." He told her. Celeste sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"The fuck do you want at this ungodly hour?" She snapped at him.

"I want you to tell me why you were so affected by what you saw earlier." He demanded.

"Fucking make me." She replied.

"I'm not letting you sleep until you do." Levi answered. He was getting pissed with Celeste's attitude the entire day. Deciding she wants to get this over with, she started talking.

"There was a guy in the future. He cheated on me because I was too focused on my racing career. But that also didn't mean I didn't love him. I guess it was my fault too. But I didn't like it when I saw my dad doing that." She answered. Levi sighed and patted her head.

"I'm sorry." He blurted out. Celeste's head shot up. Did he just say he's sorry? Are pigs flying nowadays?

"I'm sorry. I love your mom too much to do that to her even if she doesn't remember us." Levi said as patted her once more. They sat in silence for a while. Levi wondered what it would've been like to raise her. He was pretty sure it would've brought him immense happiness amidst this cruel and filthy world. During the 3 months that she was with them, he didn't show it but he was very happy raising a daughter with a beautiful wife. When he lost her, he regretted taking that happiness for granted.

"Dad?"

Levi was snapped out of his musings when he heard her call for him.

"What turned you to being a thug?" Celeste asked. Levi was reluctant to answer her question. But she was 19 and she was an adult and she could die outside the walls and should she die, Levi wanted her to know everything she can know about him. With a sigh, he started talking.

"Your grandfather, he was an abusive, cheating bastard. Your grandmother died in childbirth. One day, I had enough. I killed him. I was an orphan with nowhere to go so I became a thug. Channelled all my anger through that. Then Irvin found me and convinced me to join the Legion."

Celeste was stunned but she guessed if her dad was like that towards her as well, she figured she'd snap someday.

"Go to sleep, Celeste." He ordered her. Celeste lied back down immediately but what surprised her was that Levi gave her a kiss in the forehead.

"Night, Celeste."

"Night, Dad." She answered. Before Celeste fell asleep, she felt happy. Happy that she and her dad were finally getting along.

'Now, I just have to get mom to remember us and we'll be together again.' She thought as she closed her eyes.

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**AN: WAAAH! FUCKING HELL! 3000 SOMETHING WORDS? This is the longest chapter I have written in my life. I am so sleepy. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and now without further ado, I will tell you what the numbers mean;**

**1 – For those who don't know, according to the SNK wikia, Utopia is the inner district where the king and the nobles live.**

**2 – Again, for those who don't know, Vine is an alcoholic drink.**


	22. Chapter 21: Ice Titan

**AN: Waah, Chapter XXI and Part Four of Five (finally decided on how many) of the Forgotten Arc. I still haven't watched Episode 23 because of the Typhoon here and it's messing my internet up. Thanks to those who reviewed to the previous chapter! I love you all! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this.**

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**CHAPTER XXI:**

**ICE TITAN**

When Celeste woke up the next morning, her first instinct was to take a bath, which is what she did. Next instinct was to have breakfast. Heading for the dining hall, she saw that like always, Petra has already beaten her there. She was already making coffee and preparing breakfast for the Squad.

"Good Morning, Celeste." She greeted with a smile. It was contagious so Celeste returned it.

"Morning." She replied as she sat down. Petra sat down a glass of water and a plate of food in front of her. She knew that the girl doesn't take tea and they're still trying to get her nerves down so no coffee for her.

"Thanks." Celeste told her as she sat down. While they were eating, the entire Squad came down.

"Hurry up and eat. We're training today." Levi told them. He probably meant that they're heading out to where they trained and use the equipment there. They all ate their breakfast, grabbed their horses and they rode out to the Training Fields.

The moment they got there, Levi immediately sent them out to train with the mock Titans. It turns out that they were to demonstrate things for the new recruits. This, unfortunately, escalated into a competition between Eren, Celeste and for some reason God only knows why she even joins them, Mikasa. They zipped around in their 3DMG, stealing each other's kills. Celeste and Mikasa were tied with 6, while Eren has 4 kills. Their score system relies on who hits the titan first.

"Come on, Eren! You want to be better than Mikasa so you can protect her, right? Then, pick up the pace!" Celeste taunted him. Eren blushed furiously and gritted his teeth in frustration before racing on ahead of them and took down the mock Titan that sprung up in front of them.

"Why are they doing this again?" Armin asked. It wasn't the first time this happened. Last time they did this a month ago, it ended in a draw between Celeste and Mikasa. They've done this a couple of times and it always ended in a draw between them.

"Come on, guys. Come at me! I'd love for this to end with one of us actually winning." Celeste yelled at the other two as she zipped around the Napes of three mock Titans with Lightning Speed. They were nearing the end of the course and Mikasa still has 6, Eren, 5 and Celeste just ended up with 9.

'I am so going to win this!' She thought gleefully to herself. Just then, she saw 5 mock Titans coming around.

"Decision making time!" Celeste yelled, hoping they'd hear her. She was about to attack the nape of the first 3 titans when a flash of red zipped past her. She knew it was Mikasa.

"Fucking hell? How'd she get so fast?"

Now they were tied once more while poor little Eren still has 5. Joy. Thankfully, Celeste hit the 4th mock Titan.

'10. Now time for the last one.' She thought to herself. She saw Mikasa was beside her and was about to move in for the kill.

"Oh, no you don't!" Celeste yelled and she immediately reeled herself in. Unfortunately, so did Mikasa. Celeste refused to have this end in a tie once more. She brought her blades down and hit the titan first before Mikasa. Unfortunately, Mikasa's head hit her stomach sending her flying back full force. That is one powerful head she has. Celeste barely recovered before hitting the ground but thankfully she was able to hook herself to a tree. She immediately released the hook when she was close to the ground. The trainees were staring at her in awe and all she can give them in return was turning her back on them and losing her breakfast. Quiet a role model, isn't she? Eren and Mikasa immediately came to check on her.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Eren worriedly asked.

"Her. Her head hit my stomach hard." She answered as she pointed to Mikasa. Just then, Armin, Petra and Levi arrived just as she threw the last of her stomach's contents out.

"Training's over. Let's head back." Levi decided. Unfortunately for them, Irvin came.

"Karanese is under attack again. We were able to open the gates just in time before the Armoured one was able to break it but it brought a Titan Army trailing after it. Thankfully, there are only about 20 with him." He explained. Celeste whistled for Clara, who came rushing in immediately.

"I'll go on ahead." She offered. Before she went ahead, however, she turned to the trainees, who were still staring at her in awe and gave them a wink and a smile.

Needless to say, the majority of the males and some of the females fainted.

Later on, Celeste was riding to Karanese with Clara. Immediately, she saw how many Titans are in there. People were being evacuated and she immediately charged in. The Garrison were getting their asses kicked. Celeste latched onto a building, set her blades aflame and hit the nape of one of the Titan's neck. Then, she saw the others attacking various Titans. Celeste kept going on attacking the Titans in a blind fury.

"Celeste!" She heard someone call for her. She wasn't able to turn around in time when she felt pain in her right arm.

"AAAH!" She screamed as she skidded along the rooftops. When she came to a halt, Celeste saw that Levi and Mikasa took the Titan down. Looking to her right, she saw that her right arm was eaten off. The bloody stump stopped at her elbow and she felt immense pain. So much pain that she yelled so loud.

'I guess this is what Eren felt when he lost an arm and a leg.' She thought to herself. Suddenly, she saw Petra and Armin looming over her. Blood pounded to her ears so she can barely hear what Petra was yelling. All she knew was Armin picked her up and carried her inside a building. With a kiss to her forehead, Petra left Celeste lying on the floor. Celeste looked at the window and watched the squad take down the Titans.

"No. I don't want to die like this. I don't want to die bleeding out on the god damn floor. I want to die with honour in the battlefield! I don't want to die without my mom remembering me! I don't want to die here! SO GOD! IF YOU'RE REALLY OUT THERE! YOU BETTER HELP SHAKE THIS OFF AND LET ME GET BACK OUT THERE WITH MY SQUAD!"

After that, everything went black for Celeste.

Petra just took down another Titan with fury. She was beyond furious when she saw that Titan injure Celeste.

'You bastards, harming a little girl like that.' She thought. All of a sudden, they saw lightning strike the building where Celeste is. They all halted their attack and saw it; another Titan.

"What the hell is that?" Eren asked. They were all shocked at the Titan's appearance; it was like the Female Titan but it was made of pure Ice. What surprised the crap out of them was that there was a carving on the Wings of Freedom on her right shoulder and her back. Immediately, Petra knew who it was.

"It's Celeste! What did Hanji do to her?" Petra asked. They watched as Celeste took down the remaining Titans. Unfortunately for her, 5 Titans were able to gang up on her. The Squad moved to take the remaining 5 down. When they were done, the Ice Titan collapsed. They all ran towards the Titan and they chipped the Nape of the Neck. Hanji and Irvin arrived as well.

"MY GOD! IT WORKED! I KNEW IT WAS CELESTE!" Hanji yelled.

"Hanji, what the fuck did you do to her?" Levi asked furiously as they chipped away at the nape. Hanji was poking at the body and its bite marks and she yelled.

"WOAH! It's so cold. And the body is hard. It's pure Ice. This is beautiful! No Titan would be able to get to the nape easily!" She praised.

"Hanji, what did you do?" He asked once more.

"I kept injecting her with Eren's blood while she sleeps. The last one I gave her was yesterday." She explained. Finally, they were able to break into the nape and Petra immediately pulled Celeste out with some difficulty. At that moment, everything came back to her. The last remnants of her memories returned; she was married to the Captain she's been in love with ever since she first saw him and that this girl that she was pulling out was the daughter who just recently returned to them. Petra took off the shards of ice in Celeste's blonde hair as the tears fell down from her eyes.

"Petra, look at her arm." Armin told her. They all looked at it; the arm she lost was covered in ice once more but it was slowly shedding the ice.

"Celeste, will you wake up? My little girl. I remember everything now. So, please wake up." Petra begged as she held the cold body to her. If it wasn't for her breathing, they would've thought she was dead already. Petra cried as she held Celeste. Mikasa's eyes widened. 18 years ago, she was the same. They both held someone they loved close to them and Mikasa pitied her.

"Do you really remember everything?" Levi asked Petra, who simply nodded. Levi fell to his knees and held them both close to him.

'Once she wakes up, we'll be a family once more.' He thought to himself as he held the two most important people in his life.

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**AN: And that's it. I know there may be some discrepancies here but this ain't called a fanfiction for nothing. The next chapter will be the conclusion of the Forgotten Arc. So, I hope you guys enjoyed this and Thanks to those who reviewed and will review! Ja ne!**


	23. Chapter 22: Remembered

**AN: Waaah Chapter XXII! Brrrgh, it's so cold here in the Philippines. It's raining plus it's September and when it's this time of the month, it's freaking cold. Even if ain't raining. Anyhoo, tell me this in your reviews; do you guys want me to make an arc where Levi, Celeste and Petra go to the future to meet Celeste's adoptive family? Tell me your answer in your reviews. So, this is the conclusion chapter of the Forgotten Arc. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and Thanks to those who reviewed!**

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**CHAPTER XXII:**

**REMEMBERED**

Slowly, Celeste opened her eyes and she was in her room again. It was dark outside. She had a weird dream where she was a Titan like Eren and until the other Titans took her down, she was killing the other Titans. When she was about to get up, she looked to her right. Her right hand was there when she clearly knew that it was eaten. Celeste screamed in surprise before bolting out of her room. When she was about to leave the HQ, something dragged her to the dining hall. Craning her neck, she saw that it was just Petra.

"Celeste, calm down. It's just the three of us here since Eren, Mikasa and Armin went to town."

"How am I going to calm down? My right arm was supposedly eaten off!"

Petra gripped her face and looked at her straight in the eyes.

"Calm the fuck down, Celeste! You turned into a Titan covered in Ice, of course they'd regenerate!" She explained.

"Fuck the-how did that happen?" Celeste asked as Petra made her sit down.

"Hanji. Turns out she sneaks into your room and injects you with Eren's blood."

"Why am I not surprised?"

Petra sat in front of her and held her hands.

"Celeste, how did you turn? What did you do?" She asked. It all came back to her in an instant.

"Uh…last thing I remember was yelling at God while I lay there bleeding. I told him that if he really is out there, he better help me shake my wound off so I can get back out there and help because I didn't want to die like that."

Petra cupped her daughter's cheek afterwards to comfort her.

"Celeste, I remember everything." She blurted out. Celeste's eyes widened in surprise.

"You-you remember me? Remember us? Dad and I? Who we really are to you?" She asked and Petra nodded in reply. A month ago, Levi told Celeste his real reasons of wanting Petra to remember things on her own; he was hoping she'd completely forget that they were married. Because he deemed himself unworthy of being with Petra. It was hard for Celeste but she accepted her father's decision.

"I remember everything, my little angel." Petra answered. When Celeste was a baby, she and Levi called her their little angel.

"Why didn't you tell me right away? It must've been hard for you." Petra gently scolded her. Celeste felt tears in her eyes as she spoke up.

"It was stressing. I went 15 years without you. 3, not even knowing my mom was in front of me the whole time. When Dad told me it's for the best that you remember on your own, I figured a couple of months more without you wouldn't hurt. If you want to know more about, I'll send dad to your room."

With that, she stood up and walked upstairs. She heard Petra following her and heading to her own room. Celeste headed for her dad's room and entered. He was doing paperwork as usual.

"Dad?"

Levi immediately looked up at Celeste, quite annoyed that he was disturbed with his work.

"What is it?"

"Mom wants to talk to you. Her room. Please just talk to her." She requested. Levi knew that she was getting frustrated and stressed out with the situation.

"It's late, Celeste. Go get some more sleep before morning comes." He told her as he patted her head. Celeste walked back to her room immediately to get more sleep while Levi headed for Petra's room. He knocked and the door swung open, revealing Petra on the other side.

"Celeste said you wanted to talk to me." Levi bluntly said and she nodded, letting him inside.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why did you want me to remember on my own?" Petra asked him. Levi decided to tell her the truth to just end the conversation.

"Because I was hoping you'd forget we were married or that you ever loved me." Levi said without any emotion.

"Yes but why? Did you even stop and think about Celeste? Don't you love me anymore?" Petra asked him furiously as tears streamed down her face. Levi immediately turned around to grab her wrist before she could pound him on the back. Not once did he think that he doesn't love her. He loved her very much that he would die for her if that meant she'll live on.

"Because I was a failure. I failed as a husband and a father and yes; I thought about Celeste. She said she was fine with you not remembering immediately. I thought about her everyday and I never realized that it might've been hard for her. And don't you dare think that I don't love you because I do." He admitted. Petra leaned her forehead to his as she cried.

"Levi, you don't get to say if you're a failure or not. Only Celeste and I can decide that. I think you're a wonderful husband and aside the fact that you kicked her ass to save her and for training, you're a wonderful father. I'm sure Celeste would say the same."

She ended the remark with a kiss. It was only then that Levi realized how much he missed her kisses. He missed the feeling of her body against his. He missed her. Levi pinned her to her bed as they kissed.

"I love you." He whispered to her the same way while she was still sleeping.

"I love you too, Levi." She replied as she pressed her lips to his once more. What happened next is pretty much best left to one's imagination.

Meanwhile, Celeste was peacefully sleeping in her room when she heard something banging on her wall. It sounded like a headboard was hitting the opposite side of the wall. It took 2 minutes before she put the pieces together; her mother's room is next to hers, the bed is on the opposite side of the wall…

And her dad is in the next room.

"The fuck?" She asked herself as she sat up. Another bang was heard but it was followed by a pretty loud moan this time. Celeste may be a 19-year-old virgin but she was never a dense child. She knew what banging and moaning means ever since she was 9. It can only mean one thing; her parents are doing the do.

"Oh, hell no!" Celeste yelled as she stood up. The picture frames she nailed on the wall were moving for God's sake.

"Fuck, this shit!" She declared as she walked out of her room. Just then, Eren, Armin and Mikasa came up as another loud moan was heard.

"What's going on?" Eren asked her. Celeste scoffed at them before banging on the door.

"THANKS FOR THE UNNECESSARY WAKE UP CALL, YOU JERKS!" She yelled before facing the three again.

"You might want to relocate rooms for the night." Celeste told them before marching off to her dad's room.

That was the first time where Celeste didn't sleep where she was supposed to sleep.

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**AN: And that is Chapter XXII! I hope you guys liked it. I made an effort to sprinkle a little bit of humour towards the end. Again, tell me in your reviews if you guys want me to make the Future Arc. 2 voted yes for this and so far no one has disagreed to the idea so please, help me decide here. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review. Thanks to those who reviewed and will review! **


	24. Chapter 23: Plans for a Trip

**AN: EEEP! Here we are at Chapter XXIII! It seems like no one disagrees with the new Arc ergo, this chapter officially marks the start of the Future Arc! Anyways, thank you guys for the reviews it meant a lot to me and I hope you guys enjoy this!**

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**CHAPTER XXIII:**

**PLANS FOR A TRIP**

The next day, Petra woke up as the first rays of sunlight peek through the window. She realized that she had to make breakfast for the squad so she moved to get up but instead, a certain someone's arm tightened around her waist.

"Stop moving." Levi mumbled against her shoulder. With a tired smile, she turned to face him.

"I have to make breakfast." She said but he just tightened his arms around her even more.

"I'm sure they can last a day without you in the kitchen."

Petra smiled and kissed him in response.

"I think we woke Celeste up last night." She said as she laid her head on her husband's bare chest. Levi may not show it but Petra knew Levi loved to cuddle.

"Judging from what she yelled at us outside, I'm guessing we did." He answered.

"It's amazing how we can still traumatize her at this stage of the game." Petra said as she got up. With one last kiss, Petra left to take a bath and make breakfast.

When Petra headed downstairs, she was surprised to see Celeste there before her. Usually, she always got to the kitchen before the 19 year old.

"Good Morning, Celeste." She greeted with a smile to which Celeste greeted with a glare. Petra noticed that Celeste was shaking as she drank from her cup.

"Is-is that coffee?" Petra asked her. Celeste slammed the mug down, showing Petra that it was pure black coffee. Judging from the bags in her eyes, she obviously didn't get much sleep. Just then, Levi and the squad entered the room.

"Give me that." Petra demanded but Celeste's grip on her cup was strong.

"Give it. Celeste, give it."

"Fucking make me! I didn't get too much sleep because of the two of you last night!" Celeste yelled as she fended Petra off with one arm. Taking the mug, she downed every single drop of the coffee.

"Then go back to sleep!" She yelled back.

"No way, man! I'm going to be nocturnal if that happens."

"Petra let her go. I think she's already drank too much for her to sleep anyways." Levi said. Petra released her hold on her daughter and went back to cooking as the other squad members sat down with Celeste.

"Did you eat anything yet?" Levi asked Celeste. She scoffed before answering.

"No. I can't cook to save my life."

Okay, maybe she can and she's just too lazy to do it but she'd never tell them that. They'd just think they'd have another Petra in the kitchen. Just then, Petra set down some food in front of them. Levi and Petra's eyes met and Petra was gesturing to Celeste.

"Okay, what do you and mom want?" Celeste asked them.

"What?"

Eren and Armin snickered, knowing that their seniors won't be able to hide it from Celeste any longer. Seriously, they've been planning what they want to tell Celeste ever since they found out they were related.

"What do you guys want? Mom was nodding her head towards me like an Epileptic having a heat stroke and judging from these two idiots' snickers, they've known what you've been planning for quite a while."

They both looked at each other once again so Petra spoke up.

"That attack yesterday was apparently a distraction. While we were fending the Titans off, Bertholdt was able to smuggle Ymir and Annie's crystal out of where they were being held."

"What?" Eren, Armin and Mikasa asked at the same time. Something told Celeste that they knew about it already and what they were questioning was about a different matter entirely. Her left eye twitched in annoyance.

"And you only tell me this now? Nice try. I'm surprised. I know you're telling the truth but that's not what you want to tell me. So, spill." She demanded. Levi and Petra were surprised. She was very perceptive. I guess that comes from her being their daughter.

"We want to meet your adoptive family." Petra blurted out. Celeste choked on the food she was chewing.

"I'm sorry, what?" She asked when she recovered.

"You heard her." Levi responded as he drank his coffee.

"Wait. Wait. To meet them I'd have to get you guys through an anomaly. Not to mention, you guys would have to take leave, the heaps of explanation I'd have to do to my family back there and you guys would have a hard time adjusting there. To the technology and how things work there." Celeste tried to reason. She really didn't want them to meet. There are only two ways this would go; both sides of the family would either get along or slug it out on which family she loves more. She loves them both equally but it would be so awkward if they met.

"Actually, Commander Irvin decided that The Squad take a month leave. It seems like the next Expedition won't happen until the first week of May so we got time to kill." Armin reported. Celeste looked at him with a glare.

'Couldn't help me out here, could you?' She asked him mentally. Celeste sighed, knowing that she won't this.

"I-pack a month's worth of things, then. I'm going to go find an anomaly and tell my family there. If they agree to this, we leave this evening. No promises." She told them as she left the HQ. Locating her car, she rode it out of the woods and drove around until she found an anomaly in the middle of a clearing.

"Well, here goes nothing." She said before driving into the anomaly. When she passed through, it was 6:30 in the evening. But instead of going to the Knight Mansion immediately, she headed for the mall. Since she promised the kids she'd bring them some gifts the next time she comes by as compensation for 3 years worth of birthdays and Christmases that she missed, she bought some suitable gifts for an 11 year old girl and a pair of 13 year old twins. 2 hours later, she has them. Now that she's walking back to her car, however, something weird happened. Celeste bumped into two people, dropping her equipment. They moved to help her immediately.

"Sorry." She said but when she looked up, she almost pissed herself. The guy had blonde hair and blue eyes but the shape of his eyes, the grouchy look on his face and facial structure was someone's she knew too well. The man in front of her looked exactly like Levi.

"No, we're sorry too. We should've been looking where we were going." The woman said. When Celeste looked at her, she saw that she has brown hair and green eyes and again, Celeste was familiar with the facial structure; except for the hair and eyes she looked exactly like her mother. They looked about her age, 19. They all stood up once her things were gathered.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry if I held you guys ack. Thanks for the help." Celeste told them.

"Aren't you Cassandra Knight?" The male asked and she nodded.

"As in the race car driver?" The woman asked and Celeste nodded again.

"Wow…it's been three years since you last raced. Your older cousin's been knocking at your door lately." The woman explained with a smile that looked so much like her mother's.

"Yeah, so I heard. I should get going. See you around." Celeste said with a wide smile. With a nod, they went their separate ways. Before she got in her car, however, she stood there and watched the couple wrap their arms around one another as they walked. She gave another wide smile and got in her car. It hit her two minutes after she saw them; her parents were reincarnated in this time. Celeste got in her car but never took her eyes off them.

"Heh…would you look at that? They'll get a happy ending after all. Maybe I'll get reincarnated as their daughter again someday." She muttered to herself as she drove to the Knight mansion with a smile on her face.

When she arrived at the Knight Mansion, she immediately grabbed the bag of gifts and knocked on the door. It swung open to reveal Uncle Federico on the other side.

"Celeste! What brings you here?" He asked as he hugged her.

"Uh…that's the thing, Uncle. I'd like to discuss with the family about why I came home, if you guys will hear me out, of course."

"Of course. Uh…guys, Celeste is home!" He yelled as they walked to the living room. The kids came down immediately.

"GIFTS!" Celeste told them as she gave them the bags. They hugged her before scurrying off to see what they received. Rex, Duncan, Uncle Damon and Aunt Natalie emerged from the kitchen and hugged her.

"Oh, Celeste, what brings you home? I see you're getting stronger every day." Aunt Natalie praised her.

"Yeah, sit down guys. I'll explain why I'm here, actually." Celeste answered as they all sat on the couch.

"Uh…so…yeah, I'm here because my real parents want to meet you all." She said.

"WHAT?"

"I know. I'm here to work out on an arrangement. If you guys ain't cool with that, I'll tell them."

"No, we want to meet them but only Damon and Natalie will since my plane to Italy leaves in 3 hours. They can have the guest room if they're staying." The head of the house, Uncle Federico, explained. Uncle Damon and Aunt Natalie nodded in agreement.

"Uh…swell. But please don't say anything offensive or bring up any abandonment issues I have because they'll feel bad since they didn't mean to lose me. Oh, and whatever you do, do not bring up Titans since we're from the past and we fight Titans. We'll be here tomorrow morning, alright." She said. When Celeste received the DNA test results, Celeste explained EVERYTHING to them. Surprisingly, they believed her. Without a shadow of a doubt.

"Of course, Celeste." Uncle Damon answered.

"Good. I have to pick up my parents from the past. See you." She said before leaving the house. She entered her car and drove away.

"That went well. Hopefully, shit doesn't hit the fan when they arrive." She thought to herself.

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**AN: And that is Chapter XXIII! I hope you guys enjoyed this. Please leave a review and Thanks to those who reviewed and will review!**


	25. Chapter 24: Games and Meeting the Family

**AN: Okay! Chapter XXIV! Second chapter of the Future Arc! Thank you to those who reviewed to the previous chapters and I hope you people enjoy this. Because I love you all and you guys make me happy, I've decided to make this a long chapter. At least, I hope it's longer than the 3000 something words Chapter. This chapter has some brief mentions of Armin x Annie. I ship them so please don't kill me! Without further ado, let's start!**

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**CHAPTER XXIV:**

**GAMES AND MEETING THE FAMILY**

Celeste arrived back in HQ and parked her car in the stables. It was 10 in the morning so they got more time to kill. They leave at 8 in the evening anyways. Maybe she can show Eren, Armin and Mikasa a game from the future too. She entered the HQ afterwards.

"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" She yelled for them but no one was responding.

"Armin! Eren! Mikasa! Anybody?" She called once more but no one responded. Heading upstairs, she saw that no one was around even then.

"Maybe they went to town or something." She muttered as she went to her room. Plopping on her bed, she fell asleep despite the 8 cups of coffee she had that morning.

When the squad arrived back at HQ, they were surprised to see the hunk of metal Celeste came in parked by the stables.

"Celeste's back, already?" Mikasa asked as they headed inside.

"Celeste?" Petra called around. Receiving no response, Petra headed for the girl's room. When she got there, she saw Celeste curled up into a ball while she slept. She resisted the urge to squeal and declare how cute the 19 year old is while she's sleeping.

"Celeste, wake up. It's 11 in the morning." She whispered.

"I'll wake up at 5 and we leave at 8 so leave me alone." She grumbled in reply as she curled up even more. Petra was about to try and wake her up again but suddenly remembered what she and Levi did the previous night. Deciding she deserved the rest, Petra kissed her forehead and left the room.

About 5 hours later, Celeste woke up an hour early. Checking the time, she stood up, changed her shirt and took the belts around her body off. Heading outside, she saw Eren, Armin and Mikasa talking and walking back to the HQ. Celeste paid them no heed and instead grabbed a red box in her car.

"Where have you guys been?" Celeste asked.

"Oh, trying to kill some time. We just played hide and seek." Eren answered. She raised an eyebrow at them.

"Hide and Seek with three people?" She asked and they simply nodded.

"Well, I guess I can show Eren and Mikasa a game since it's something only couples can play. Armin, you might want to look away if you don't want to feel awkward. I'll show you a game all three of you can play later." Celeste said as she pulled the red box out from her back pocket. She opened it and the packet inside, revealing rows of chocolate covered sticks.

That's right; Celeste Ral brought back some Pocky from the future. Armin went to stand beside her.

"What's that?" He asked.

"Pocky. Chocolate covered biscuit sticks."

She pulled a stick out and with a sly smile, walked towards Eren.

"Close your eyes. Open your mouth and when I put this in close it." She ordered him. Eren, frightened by her resemblance to the Captain when giving orders, complied. Once the biscuit stick was in his mouth, he closed it immediately.

"I want you to face Mikasa and Mikasa, bite the other end of the stick." Celeste explained. Eren faced Mikasa and she bit the other end of the stick.

"Now keep biting and no matter what you guys do, do not break the stick." She explained as she handed the box to Armin and pulled her phone out. Putting it on video mode, she pointed it in Eren and Mikasa's direction.

"So, what's this game called?" Armin asked her as he ate a piece of Pocky.

"It's called the Pocky game. The reason that only couples can play this is because when the stick is completely eaten, their lips are supposed to meet and they're supposed to make out. Whoever pulls away first, loses." Celeste explained with a sly smile on her face. Looking at Armin, she saw that he had a look of longing in his eyes.

'Oh, he was in love with someone.' She thought before focusing back on Eren and Mikasa. They were almost to the middle and no one was breaking the stick. Eventually, their lips met and Armin was blushing from embarrassment while Celeste was squealing as she took a video of the moment. It seemed like no one was going to pull back so they just walked away and back to HQ.

"So, who was she?" Celeste asked as they walked back.

"Eh?"

"I saw the look in your eyes when you watched them. You long for someone don't you? So, who is she?" Celeste asked once again. Armin sighed before answering.

"Annie."

Celeste looked at him with her eyebrows raised. Did he just say Annie? Annie Leonhardt? The Female Titan?

"The Female Titan? The woman who robbed soldiers of their lives and their families the chance of seeing them again? The woman who killed half this squad and almost killed my mother and by extension, me? The Annie Leonhardt who took Gunter from his parents, took Auruo from his brothers and Erd from his lover and mother?"

"Yes. That Annie. You didn't know her like I did, Celeste. I don't know what made her betray us but I tried to forget her but I just can't." Armin answered her. Deciding not to argue anymore, she walked to her car and grabbed the baseball bat, mitt and ball.

"You know what? I'm done talking about this. Let me show you another game that you can play with Eren and Mikasa. This competitive game is called Baseball but since there isn't a baseball diamond in these times you can just play it for fun and not competition." She explained to him as she handed him the baseball mitt and the ball. Just then, Petra and Levi came out of the HQ while Eren and Mikasa were coming towards them once more.

"What are you guys doing?" Petra asked them curiously.

"Mom, get the fuck out of the way or get hit by a ball or a bat." Celeste answered. "Armin, throw the ball as hard as you could. Scratch that. Throw the ball hard."

With a sigh, Armin threw the ball as hard as he could. Once the time was right, Celeste swung the bat and hit the ball making it fly back to Armin, which hit him square in the face. They all ran towards him and Celeste slapped him to wake him up.

"Yo, how many fingers am I holding up?" She asked him as she held up five fingers.

"Five." He answered. Celeste straightened up and grabbed the ball and the mitt.

"He's fine. That's enough baseball for now." She decided as she went inside. Heading up to her room, she grabbed a new set of clothes from her pack and took a bath. After that, they had an early dinner and Petra, Levi and Celeste started preparing their things. Celeste dumped her duffel bag in the back of her car and walked back inside the HQ.

"Mom! Dad! It's 6:30! We're leaving! Come on!" She announced. Just then, Levi and Petra came down with a bag of their things. Levi didn't have his Legion jacket on but he did have the cravat, which Celeste pulled off of him. Petra, meanwhile, was wearing a black shirt and the Scouting Legion jacket. Both didn't have belts around them. Good. At least, she doesn't have to tell them. Taking their bags, she dumped them at the back of the car as well. Eren, Mikasa and Armin met up with them outside.

"Okay, we're going. Mikasa, hold the fort while we're gone. Armin, tell Commander Irvin we're going on a trip. We don't know how long we'll be gone but we'll be back either before or once our month leave is up. Okay, see you guys." Celeste said. The three nodded and headed back inside while the other three headed for the car.

"Get in." Celeste ordered them. Levi called shotgun, unfortunately, so Petra was stuck in the back seat. Celeste put a seatbelt on both of them immediately.

"It's a bumpy ride so this'll keep you from hitting your head in case something happens to us." She explained. Then she got in the driver's side and started the car.

"Just so you know, when you get in a car with me, it's a 50-50 chance that you'll live. Oh and you don't have to worry about covering up the fact that we're from the past. They know anyways." Celeste explained before gunning it. Petra was having a panic attack from the back seat. She's never been in something this fast and this bumpy before. Finally, after a while they found an anomaly and went through it. When they got there, it was morning.

"What the fuck? I thought it was 7 in the evening?" Levi asked her.

"There's a 12 hour difference when you cross over. If it's 7 in the evening there, it's 7 in the morning here." Celeste answered as she drove. She noticed that Petra hasn't talked in a while.

"Yo, mom? Still alive? Or did you piss your pants like your first Expedition thanks to my driving?" She jokingly asked. Petra grumbled before answering.

"Stop bringing that up and I'm fine."

"If you say so. Hey, when we got time, I'll take you guys to the ocean later." Celeste offered. They both looked at her with questioning looks on their faces.

"Oh, yeah. I can take you to the ocean. You can swim in it too. But I suggest you don't. It's too salty."

"That would be wonderful." Petra said with a bright smile in her face. Celeste smiled in return as she drove on. After about an hour, they finally arrived at the Knight Mansion.

"There it is. That's the house I grew up in." She said as she pointed to the mansion.

"Whoa." Levi said. They were both amazed at the size of the house. Celeste parked in the driveway and took her seatbelt off.

"You both stay here for a while. I'll just go settle some things, alright." She told them and they nodded. Celeste got off from the car and entered the house.

"Anyone? I'm back." She announced. Just then, Aunt Natalie and Uncle Damon came downstairs and so did Rex and Duncan.

"Are they here? Where are they?" Duncan asked.

"Hold your horses, they're in the car. Two rules; don't make too much of a mess. My dad's a clean freak like me. Another is don't bring up how short he is and how taller I am than him. I got the height from my grandpa apparently." She explained and they all nodded.

"Where are the kids?" Celeste asked.

"Sleeping." Rex answered. Celeste nodded and headed outside again. Opening the car door, she took their seatbelts off.

"Alright. Be nice, dad and wipe that stupid frown off your face." She told him as they got off the car. The three of them walked to the house. Just then, something forced Celeste to the floor. It was the family's Tibetan Mastiff.

"Erasmus, get off me." She struggled to say as Erasmus laid on her. After a few seconds, Erasmus moved. She sat up and patted his head as he sniffed Petra and Levi.

"Don't worry. He doesn't bite. He's playful, actually." Celeste explained.

"Erasmus, come." Uncle Damon said. Erasmus immediately ran away. Damon and Natalie approached them.

"So, you're Celeste's real parents. We've heard so much about you." Aunt Natalie said with a friendly smile as she and Petra shook hands.

"I'm Petra Ral. This is my husband, Levi. Celeste has told us a lot about you as well."

"I'm Damon Knight. This is my wife, Natalie. Please, come into the living room so we can talk."

They walked to the living room where Rex and Duncan greeted them. Celeste immediately joined them in firing up the old XBOX 360.

"So, Celeste told us where she's really from. I'm surprised she adjusted so well in the past." Natalie remarked.

"I'm taking that as an insult." Celeste answered as she sat on the floor with her own controller and shot at the enemies.

"Well, let us clear up our reasons for coming here then; My husband and I wanted to thank your family for caring for our daughter for 15 years." Petra said.

"Oh, credit should go to my older brother and his wife. Speaking of which, Celeste, do you remember what day it is?" Damon asked. Celeste paused the game and thought about it. She remembered that it was her parents' death anniversary. She really hated going to their graves. While she was happy that she found her real parents, a part of her still hasn't accepted that the people who raised and loved her for 15 years were gone. Just like that.

"I'll visit them later." She said emotionlessly as she continued their game.

"It seems she's still not over their deaths." Natalie pointed out.

"How did she grow up here?" Levi asked them as he observed Celeste and the boys switch to another game console and pushing a racing game cockpit to the middle of the room.

"Well, she was happy whenever she was at home, miserable at school. Whenever Celeste was racing at the tracks, however, it's like she's in paradise." Damon answered as they watched Celeste play a racing game.

"She dropped out of school to find you guys when she was 15." Duncan added as he sat beside his uncle.

"Celeste, what year were you in when you dropped?" Natalie asked.

"I just got out of Middle School. 9th Grade." She answered as she played her racing game.

"You should be proud of her. Your daughter, in the height of her entire racing career was very popular with the guys as well as the ladies and the kids." Rex explained to them. "Even know, people are still searching for her whenever a big race is going on."

"We are. We're very proud of her." Levi answered.

"Celeste?" They heard someone say. They all looked at the staircase and saw Janine in her pajamas, hugging the teddy bear Celeste bought for her. She sleepwalked to Celeste and sat on her before falling asleep again.

"Oh come on! Don't sleep on me." She complained. When Janine didn't move, Celeste picked her up and walked to the couch.

"Rex, Duncan, help us out make some refreshments." Damon barked out at them. They immediately moved to the kitchen while Celeste sat beside Petra and Levi.

"Who's this little girl?" Petra asked her curiously as she brushed some hair off the little girl's face.

"This is Janine. She's Uncle Damon and Aunt Natalie's daughter. Rex and Duncan's dad, Uncle Federico, is in another country but their mom died when their younger siblings were born." Celeste explained. Just then, Janine's eyes opened.

"Celeste? Why is there two of you?" She asked them.

"Oh, hey, buddy. These people are my real parents, Petra and Levi." Celeste answered.

"Hello. You're very pretty. I see where Celeste gets her looks." Janine pointed out as she rubbed her eyes.

"Thank you." Petra said with a smile.

"Your daddy looks scary, Celeste but I see where you get your eyes and your glares." Janine added. Celeste winced at her remark.

"Janine, we don't tell people out of the blue that they're scary." Celeste gently scolded her.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. It's not the first time someone's told me that." Levi answered in reply. Levi watched as Celeste held Janine in her arms. At that moment, he and Petra wondered again what it would've been like raising Celeste. Levi immediately thought of the dream he had once; the dream where Celeste was never separated from them. He dreamt of Petra holding her, the same way Celeste was holding Janine now, while he watched and held her hand, letting him know that he was there.

"Celeste!" Two pairs of voices greeted. Celeste turned around and saw Andrew and Andrea jump on her and hug her.

"Good Morning. Hey, these are my real parents, Petra and Levi." Celeste introduced them.

"Hello." They greeted and shook hands. "I'm Andrew, this is my twin, Andrea."

"My, my, it seems like you're all getting along already." Rex pointed out as he walked in.

"Yes. Yes, we are." Petra said with a radiant smile. Celeste and even Levi smiled a bit as well.

'This is great. They're off to a good start. Now, let's see how the month passes by.' Celeste thought happily. Hopefully, everything would be just fine.

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**AN: And that is Chapter XXIV and the second chapter of the Future Arc! I hope this was long enough for you guys and that you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading and please review; it would be very much appreciated! Until next time! Ciao!**


	26. Chapter 25: Red Anomaly II

**AN: Here is Chapter XXV! Okay, just so you guys know, I never really planned to write a chapter like this but the concept of this chapter just won't let me go to sleep until I include it in the story so why not? Please don't kill me if this chapter isn't really in your tastes. If you want, you can skip this when I've put up Chapter XXVI. Anyways, thanks to those who reviewed and followed this story. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.**

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**CHAPTER XXV:**

**RED ANOMALY II**

That night, Celeste was relaxing in the living room after dinner. Petra and Levi sat beside her just as Andrew came in, dragging a Cello case with him.

"Celeste, I found Sakura-chan." He announced.

"Thanks, Andrew." Celeste told him as she took it from Andrew. Sakura-chan was the name of Celeste's Cello from Japan. She got it when she competed in the Hokkaido tracks. Celeste saw Sakura-chan at the display of a music store and she knew she just had to buy her as replacement for her old broken Cello.

"You play the Cello (1)?" Petra asked.

"Yeah. I do." She answered as she propped it up and got the bow. After a while, she played the first chords of 'Still doll' by Kanon Wakeshima (2). Celeste has a tendency to lose herself while playing an instrument. All she would focus on was the music she was producing that it would seem like the world around her disappears. It was one of the things she loved. When she was done, she heard people clapping. Celeste opened her eyes and saw that everyone applauding her. Suddenly, they heard Erasmus barking. He approached her with a bouquet of flowers in his mouth and dropped it on Celeste's lap.

"Erasmus, where did you get this?" She asked him.

"I had it prepared for you in case you want to visit Aunt Clara and Uncle Raphael." Andrea answered. "I think Erasmus wants you to visit them."

Hesitantly, Celeste put Sakura back in her case, took the bouquet and stood up.

"Come on, Erasmus." She called for him. He immediately followed her as she went outside to the backyard trail leading to the family graveyard where generations of Knights were buried. The rest of the family stood by the door.

"Will she be alright?" Levi asked worriedly.

"She will. Celeste's a strong person. Plus she has Erasmus with her." Andrew answered pure admiration can be heard in his voice. Petra and Levi looked away from the boy and back to the trail, where Celeste's form was gradually disappearing from their sight before walking back inside to wait for her.

Celeste and Erasmus walked past the graves of various Knights and stopped at Clara and Raphael's. She kneeled immediately and put the flowers in the graves. Erasmus whimpered as he laid by the grave of his former owners. Clara and Raphael bought Erasmus when he was 4 months old as a 14th birthday gift for Celeste. Unfortunately, due to her career, it was Clara and Raphael who wound up caring for him more than Celeste but she loved Erasmus nonetheless and he loved her.

"Hey, uh…sorry that I haven't visited in 3 years. I'm pretty sure you guys know where I've been so…yeah. I'm a soldier now. You know, you guys may be gone but I know you both have always been with me. Through my training, through every battle, every hardship. I know you both were giving me the strength I needed."

Celeste wiped the tears that were streaming down her face before she continued speaking.

"I found my real parents. My mom is very nice but my dad is kind of a jackass and he has a hard time expressing what he feels too but I know they both love me. I love them too. I-I…guess I came to say thanks. For taking care of me and loving me for 15 years when you guys could've just left me in the woods or taken me to an orphanage. Not a day goes by where I don't think about the two you. I may love my real parents but I love you both as well."

With that being said, Celeste stood up and walked away with Erasmus. They walked back to the Mansion but just as they were about to enter, something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. Turning to face it, she saw that it was a Red Anomaly.

"Mom! Dad!" She yelled. Everyone came rushing out immediately.

"Celeste, is that an Anomaly?" Uncle Damon asked her.

"Yeah, and a red one. Doesn't exactly spell good news." Celeste answered.

"Why?"

"Red Anomalies show you the most terrifying alternate timeline of your life. It gradually chips your sanity the longer you stay." Petra answered. "I'll go and investigate. See what it has to show."

"Yeah…how about no?" Celeste answered as she held Petra back.

"Celeste, you're not going." Petra answered.

"I have to. I'm more experienced with them and I'm the only one with the mental strength to withstand it for a long time. I'll be back, don't worry."

With that said, Celeste went inside. She landed in front of their old house in Karanese the same way she did when she went in the Blue Anomaly. Celeste went inside and saw her mom, washing something in the sink. Then, she saw herself, wearing a Scouting Legion Uniform and holding a boy no older than 2 years old. Judging from the absence of her watch and Locket, this is the timeline where she was never separated from her parents.

'What's so terrifying about this timeline then?' She asked herself.

"Mom, where's dad?" The other Celeste asked.

"He's in Wall Sina." She answered. Both versions of Celeste caught the crack her voice made The real Celeste walked out of the house, wondering why her mother had been crying.

"Maybe dad knows." She thought to herself and she used an ice slide to Wall Sina.

When Celeste got to Wall Sina, she immediately searched for her father. When she saw him, however, she wanted to torture him, beat him up, kill him and then gouge her eyes out because of what she was seeing.

Her dad walked out of a house with kiss marks on his shirt collar and from where she was standing, she can smell a lady's perfume on him (3).

'No, this isn't your timeline. Don't let it get to you. Get a hold of yourself, Celeste.' She thought to herself. Try as she may, however, her mental strength waned. She knew it was only a matter of time before she completely lost it. Just then, a rider from the Legion came.

"Captain Levi, Karanese is under attack. Celeste requests that you return immediately." He said. A look of horror fell on the real Celeste's face so she immediately used an ice slide to get back. When she got back to Karanese, so many titans fell dead. Not by the blades of Levi or Mikasa, not even the fist of Eren's titan form, but rather, they fell to the blades of this timeline's Celeste. Just then, Mikasa and Armin arrived.

"Inform them that all the titans have been killed, I have to find someone." The other Celeste barked at the other two. They nodded and went their separate ways. The real Celeste followed her other counterpart as they ran to their house. Both stopped when they found the house as nothing more than a pile of debris. The other Celeste knew that her mother didn't get out so she started digging. The real Celeste tried to help but her hands just went through the debris.

"Mom! Dean!" The other Celeste yelled. The real Celeste immediately put the pieces together; in this timeline she has a younger brother named Dean. She guessed that she named him because she always wanted a younger brother named Dean. She watched in horror as The Other Celeste pulled out the bloody corpse of Dean. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was dead.

"Dean? Wake up. Please wake up for me." The other Celeste begged him but he didn't respond. "I'm sorry for not protecting you."

With that, she set Dean on the ground while the real Celeste watched the heartbreaking scene. She continued to take the rocks off until she found Petra. There was a wound on her head and something impaled her stomach.

"Mom? Mom?" The alternate Celeste called as the real one kneeled beside them, unable to say anything. They watched as Petra opened her eyes and give her a small smile.

"Celeste? Is that you?" Petra asked as she coughed out blood.

"Yeah. Yeah, it's me." The alternate one answered.

"I don't have much time left. Dean? Where is he? Is he safe?"

The other Celeste was shedding tears as she talked.

"Don't say that. You'll be fine. Dean, he's fine. He's safe."

Petra gave another smile as she caressed her daughter's cheek.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I should've gotten you both out first."

"No, it's not your fault. You did your duty as a soldier. I did my duty as a mother. We're supposed to-to keep you safe. I won't be here much longer. Take care of Dean and tell your father-tell him I love him. And I-I lo-love you both."

With that, the hand that the alternate Celeste was holding went limp and Petra closed her eyes. The real Celeste was terrified by what she saw. If this were to happen in her timeline, she doesn't know if she can still find the will to live. She already lost one mother; she doesn't know if she can bear losing another. The real Celeste watched as her counterpart wailed in sadness, anger and frustration as she closed Petra's eyes. Once the tears were gone, she had a dark look in her eyes. She picked up Petra, laid her beside Dean and stacked him on top of her. Grabbing the Scouting Legion hoods that survived the chaos, The Alternate Celeste put it on top of their bodies before picking them up. They both walked to the area of Karanese that wasn't reached by the titans. The real Celeste watched as her counterpart laid her mother and brother on a cot where the dead were. The real Celeste watched as Mikasa and Eren arrived with Levi. He had his poker face on but both versions of Celeste knew that he had a feeling they were dead.

"Celeste." Eren greeted her counterpart, who simply turned around with her head bowed down. She slowly walked towards Levi and to everyone's surprise, slapped him.

"Where were you, you bastard?" The other Celeste asked as she slapped him yet again. She looked up this time, letting everyone see the tears in her eyes.

"WHERE WERE YOU?" She asked once again. He kept his face neutral but the two Celeste's saw the pain, the anguish, the sorrow and the guilt he felt in his eyes.

"Why am I even asking you this? I know perfectly well where you were. You were fucking the whores of Sina. I'm not surprised."

Levi's silence only fuelled the alternate Celeste's anger.

"I can't believe you. Mom gave everything and devoted herself to you. She ditched her career when I was born so she can raise me per your request even though she didn't want to leave the Legion and this how you repaid her? You're becoming the person you didn't want to be. You're becoming like grandpa."

The real Celeste realized then that in this timeline, Petra left the Legion. In her timeline, her dad TRIED to get her mom to leave the Scouting Legion for her safety and so that she'll have one parent left if Levi dies outside the walls but in the end, he was unsuccessful.

"Celeste, calm down." Eren requested of the counterpart.

"NO, I WILL NOT CALM DOWN, EREN! WHERE WAS HE? WHY WASN'T HE THERE TO PROTECT THEM? WHY WASN'T HE?" She asked as she made a move to punch Levi but he just simply pushed her, forcing her down on the ground hard. The real Celeste would be lying if she said she didn't feel that. She'd also be lying if she said the entire scene wasn't affecting her. It was affecting her both emotionally and mentally. She felt angry at her father in her timeline all over again.

"Shut up, brat! I know I wasn't there to protect them but you better start showing your father some respect." Levi told her as he tried to stop his tears. The other Celeste shook her head in response.

"You're not my dad. My dad loved us. He cared for us. He would never leave us. My dad died two years ago during the Expedition before my brother was born." She said as she cried. Mikasa tried to help her up but she stood up and ran away. The real Celeste didn't make a move to follow her but rather she stayed to see what this timeline's Levi would do. Died before Dean was born, eh? Something must've happened in that Expedition that made this Celeste's father go back to his old ways. The real Celeste watched as he approached Dean's body and for a while cradled him to his chest.

"I'm sorry, my son. I love you." He said before kissing Dean's forehead and putting him back down on the ground. Then she watched as he approached Petra's cold body and held her hand.

"I promised you I'd never leave, didn't I? I'm sorry I broke that. I'm so sorry for everything. I'm sorry for causing you pain. I'm so sorry. I love you." He said before kissing her cold lips and let the tears flow down to his face. The real Celeste decided that she couldn't take any of this anymore. Her sanity was starting to crack more and more. Just like an answered prayer, a black anomaly opened up beside her. Looking back one last time, she saw Levi cradling Petra's body close to him. When she looked away, she entered the anomaly.

When the anomaly deposited her back to the future, Erasmus immediately licked her face to wake her up.

"Hey, buddy." She greeted him emotionlessly as she sat up. She felt a bit woozy so she was having difficulty standing.

"Hey, hey, come on." She heard Rex say as he helped her up. Celeste stood up and rubbed her eyes as Erasmus and Rex led her inside. He made her sit down on the armchair.

"What did you see?" Janine asked her. Celeste patted her head and stood up.

"I'll tell you guys someday." She answered as she stood up. "I'm going to bed. Good Night."

Celeste headed up to her room with Erasmus trailing after her. Changing into sleepwear, she got under the covers while Erasmus jumped on the bed and settled on the space beside her. Sometimes, she uses Erasmus as a pillow but he's bit fussy at times so she stays in her own zone.

"Night, Erasmus." She greeted him before falling asleep.

Meanwhile, while Celeste slept the others were talking about her.

"She's hiding what she saw again." Petra said.

"Again?" Andrew asked.

"It's not the first time she went through a Red Anomaly. Needless to say, what she saw terrified her. And we're sure what she saw now also terrified her. Maybe even worse than before." Petra said.

"Regardless, we should let her tell us when she's ready. Pushing Celeste would only make her close herself off more than before. Let's all get some sleep for now. Duncan, lead our guests to the guest room." Damon ordered him. They all headed upstairs and went to bed, hoping that Celeste would be alright.

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**AN: EEEEEP! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME REGARDING WHAT CELESTE SAW IN THE RED ANOMALY! Anyways, it's not my best work but I hope you guys enjoyed it. Now let me tell you what the numbers meant:**

**1 – I don't know if they have Cello at the time where Titans attacked them but for the sake of the story, let's just say they do.**

**2 – Like I said, Celeste likes old stuff. Like songs, games, consoles, items, etc.**

**3 – Okay, I have no idea what to peg Levi as if he's married. I don't know if I can peg him to be the faithful type or not but please bear with me; it's just for the sake of the story and to add to the nature of the Red Anomaly. There are infinite possibilities in this world and that's what the Red Anomaly shows. If anyone gets offended, you guys can avoid reading this chapter once I put up the 26****th**** chapter.**

**And that is all for Chapter XXV! Again, I hope you guys enjoyed this and please leave a review! It's very much appreciated!**


	27. Chapter 26: Invitation

**AN: Have no fear, Chapter XXVI is here! I apologize to those who were offended, hurt or angered by the previous chapter. I hope this new chapter makes up for the previous one. Now, this chapter spells out some good news for Celeste. Thanks to those who reviewed to the previous chapters and I hope you guys enjoy this! Now let's begin.**

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**CHAPTER XXVI:**

**INVITATION**

Celeste was dreaming of what she saw the previous night while she slept. When it got to the point of Petra's death once again, she bolted out of bed, screaming. Erasmus woke up, left the room via the doggie door made for him and went to the guest room next door and started scratching on it. The door opened, revealing Petra on the other side. She woke up when she heard the screaming and was about to leave the room when Erasmus scratched on the door.

"Erasmus? How did you get here?" She asked but he barked in reply and went back to Celeste's room. Wondering what was wrong, she followed him. When she entered, she saw Celeste sitting on the bed, sweating bullets and taking deep breaths while clutching her chest.

"Celeste? Are you alright?" She asked. Celeste jerked her head up to look at her and nodded in reply. Petra immediately moved to sit beside the girl and patted her head.

"What's wrong?" She asked again.

"I-I-I-I dreamt about what I saw in-in the Red Anomaly." She admitted as she rubbed her eyes.

"Celeste, tell me what you saw." Petra demanded. Celeste hesitated but told her everything nonetheless. By the end of it, she was crying in Petra's arms.

"Oh, Celeste, don't let it get to you. It's not real. See? I'm here." Petra tried to comfort her. Eventually, she stopped crying and when her breaths evened, Petra realized that she has fallen asleep. Tucking her in once more, Petra kissed her forehead and stood up.

"Take care of her, Erasmus." She said as she patted the dog, who in turn, simply jumped back on the bed and settled beside the slumbering 19 year old. Smiling softly at the sight, Petra left the room and headed back to her own to get more sleep.

When Celeste opened her eyes, she immediately got up and took a shower. After putting some clothes in, she lazily walked to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. She loved her mother's coffee and when Petra had amnesia, she taught her how to make it. Not a lot of sugar, some milk and add some cinnamon. When she was done, she immediately sat in the dining table with some potato chips.

'Brauss is going to flip when she sees this.' She thought as she shoved a chip down her mouth. She's heard so much about the potato loving Sasha Brauss thanks to Eren, Mikasa and Armin. She drank more coffee as Petra and Uncle Damon, both looking like they just came from the shower, came down. They seemed to be chatting about something.

"Celeste, I see you're up and about. I was just telling your mother about your usual breakfast habits, which you're doing now." He said through gritted teeth. Celeste knew that Uncle Damon despised it when she has potato chips for breakfast so to spite him; she grabbed a handful and shoved them all down her mouth. She would've given him the finger too but that would've been plain disrespectful.

"Really, Celeste, you want to play this game again?" Uncle Damon said as he walked into the kitchen to make breakfast. While Celeste was eating, someone shoved a DVD box in her face. It said Corpse Party.

"Rex, if you don't get that DVD box of Corpse Party out of my face, I will Corpse Party your ass, Yuuki Kanno style (1)." She threatened. When she played it, for the first time in her life, she was traumatized by a horror game. She swore that she would never go anywhere near that series again.

"Come on, let's watch it when the others get up." Rex begged her. Before she left, Corpse Party was the last anime they watched together.

"You know what that game did to me. I slept in Duncan's room for weeks." She reminded him. In response, he just kept tapping at her shoulder silently while she examined the box and drank her coffee.

"Not happening, bro." She replied as she shoved another potato chip in her mouth. Just then, Duncan came down and started tapping her as well upon seeing the box.

"Not happening, bros." Celeste said. Petra and Uncle Damon was chuckling at the scene. When she didn't reply, they started pounding at her shoulders.

"You guys should know I'm resilient to pain thanks to my training so…not happening, bros." She answered while she finished her coffee.

"Come on, we're begging you!" Duncan pleaded. Celeste hesitated before finishing up her potato chips.

"If I watch it with you guys once the kids wake up, will you both cut the tapping out?" She asked and they both nodded.

"Fine. We'll watch it when the kids wake up." She answered.

"YES! WOOHOO!" They both yelled.

"You both just love seeing me squirm, don't you?"

"Sorta." Duncan answered.

"You sadistic fuckers." She told them just as everyone came downstairs, freshly showered and ate breakfast.

"Ooh, are we watching Corpse Party?" Janine said with a sadistic smile in her face. The reason for Celeste's sadism was Corpse Party. While the game scared the crap out of her, she did enjoy it quite a bit. She grabbed Duncan's shirt and brought him closer to her.

"What the fuck did you guys do to her?"

"We let her watch it." He answered.

"God damn it." She muttered as she stood up. Celeste plopped on the couch and watched a baseball game. When they were done eating, Rex put the movie in and they kept watching. Aunt Natalie puked her guts out by the second episode. Petra and Levi were used to the gore, however. Just then, the doorbell rang but the kids ignored it in favour of watching the movie.

"Is anyone going to get that?" Aunt Natalie asked them. Celeste snapped out of watching it and walked to the door. The sight that greeted her was a man in a suit with a badge say R.O. in it.

"You're a racing official." She stated.

"Yes, I am. I'm here looking for Damon Knight." He said.

"Oh, he's here. Please come in." She said as they walked in.

"Uncle Damon! Racing Official!" She yelled as she plopped on the couch. Damon, meanwhile, stood up and they shook hands.

"You're new, aren't you?" He asked.

"How did-"

"Know? You just talked to THE Cassandra Knight and you didn't even notice."

"It's true." Natalie quipped in.

"Oh, well, I hope she doesn't take offense then. I'm here on business." The Official answered.

"What is it, then?" Levi asked him. The official pulled out an envelope and set it on the table. Celeste grabbed it and opened it. She pulled out an invitation.

"It's an invitation to the Elimination Rounds." She announced.

"There's one problem. Rex won that fair and square in his last race but the next race is Brawl Racing and his level isn't enough to qualify for it. However, the higher ups sent me here in hopes of finding Cassandra Knight. Your level (2) is enough to qualify for a race like this." He explained.

"So, wha-what are you trying to say? I'd have to compete?" Celeste asked him.

"If you will." He answered. Celeste looked at Petra and Levi.

"How-how long exactly would these races take?" Celeste asked the official.

"The Elimination Round starts 5 days from now in Santa Monica, California. The Semi-finals is in Las Vegas, Nevada and the Grand Circuit this year takes place in Texas." He explained.

"I'll join the Eliminations but I'm not sure if I'll make the Semis or the Grand Circuit." Celeste answered.

"Another problem; they've changed the rules of racing for the past 3 years you were gone."

"Changed? How?" Petra asked worriedly.

"They've changed the rules of Death Racing and Brawl Racing. Maiming, Injuring as well as killing are now allowed." The Official answered.

"That's good then. It makes if more fun." She said with a sadistic glint in her eyes.

"Well, then sir. Tell the higher ups that Cassandra Knight will be joining the Eliminations." Celeste said with a smile as she escorted the official to the door.

"Yes, we're honoured. Just a question, though; who are the two other people?" He asked.

"The whole world knows I'm adopted, sir. Figure it out." She answered as she opened the door. The official nodded and walked out of the house. When Celeste turned around, Petra had a disapproving look on her face. A look that told Celeste that she's going to get chewed out.

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**AN: I know it's short but I'm not feeling well today. I have a massive headache for no fucking reason. Why is the world so cruel to me? Now here's what the numbers mean:**

**1 – Okay, when Celeste said that, she meant that she'll tie Rex up then stab him in the eye again and again with a pair of scissors until it's souped up.**

**2 – Levels in racing during Celeste's future are what tells a racer if they're qualified to join a certain race. For example, if you're a beginner you can only join normal racing. The more races you win, the more types of racing you can join.**

**And that's Chapter XXVI! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review. Thanks to those who will!**


	28. Chapter 27: Preparing for Santa Monica

**AN: Here is Chapter XXVII! Did you guys enjoy the previous chapter? If not, please forgive me. I wasn't feeling well yesterday. Anyways, I got a lot of follows and favourites so thanks to those who followed, pressed favourite as well as reviewed. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! And now, let's begin!**

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**CHAPTER XXVII:**

**PREPARING FOR SANTA MONICA**

"Celeste, can we talk to you upstairs?" Petra requested as she and Levi stood up. Celeste was torn on obeying her mother or watching Corpse Party. She decided on the latter.

"Can it wait? This is one of the good parts." She whined.

"That's an order, soldier." Levi snapped as he headed upstairs. Celeste moaned in annoyance before standing up.

"You know that's abuse of power, right?" She asked Petra.

"Walk." She commanded. They both headed upstairs to the guest room.

"So, what do you guys want to talk about?" She asked.

"Are you insane?" Levi asked as he grabbed her arm. She flinched at the contact. Celeste was still affected by what she saw in the Red Anomaly; something that Petra noticed.

"Okay, first off; don't touch me." Celeste told him as she threw him off. "And secondly, I'm already insane. Especially when it comes to races. But I'll indulge you both; what's so insane about what I did?"

"You heard the new racing rules and still you decided to join. This is your first Brawl Race and the first one you've joined in 4 years. You didn't survive 2 Expeditions against the Titans to die now." Petra argued. Celeste rolled her eyes as she rubbed her face. So, that was the problem?

"Look, I'm not going to die. A bunch of Titans can't even stand against me, I'm sure I can hold off on my own against humans. I'm proclaimed as Humanity's 3rd Strongest, aren't I? They won't stand a chance against me so stop worrying." She told them. Petra sighed, still not liking the idea. But Celeste was so much like Levi; once they're mind is made up, there's no changing it.

"Wha-what are we supposed to do while you're gone?" She asked.

"You guys are coming with me. Come on, you'll get to see your little girl race and win. Look, here's where we're going." Celeste said as she grabbed a map of the USA.

"I know this country, America, like the back of my hand. I've been travelling it since I was 12. I've been through all 50 states. See, we're here." She explained as she pointed to North Dakota. Petra and Levi glanced at the map.

"Alright, we go through Montana, Idaho, Nevada and then California, which is our destination. It should take us a day and 2 hours if we drive nonstop, depending on traffic. I'll take you guys to the Ocean once we're in California."

Celeste watched in amusement as Petra's eyes lit up at the mention of the Ocean. Just then, they heard some crashing downstairs. They rushed downstairs to see Rex and Duncan holding someone by the neck.

"You got a lot of nerve, showing your face here." Duncan said angrily.

"What's going on?" Aunt Natalie asked as she ran from the kitchen. Celeste froze up as she saw who the intruder was. The brunette boy with black eyes was named Alex Sinclair.

"Alex?" She asked as Janine ran to her arms. Celeste looked at Janine, who was crying. The child was easily frightened and it most likely scared her; seeing her older cousins act violent towards someone.

"Celeste, who is he?" Levi asked.

"He-he's the guy I told you about when we were in Utopia." Celeste answered. A flash of anger was seen in Levi's eyes. So, this was the guy who broke his little girl's heart. He wanted nothing more than to snap this little fucker's neck. Just as he was about to move, he felt Petra hold his wrist.

"Let him go! I'll talk to him. I'll be fine, dad." She assured him. Celeste separated from Janine and grabbed Alex by the collar of his shirt and dragged him out of the house.

"What do you want? You got three minutes to state your reasons." She threatened him.

"I just wanted to talk to you. To tell you I'm sorry for what I did." He answered.

"5 years too late, Alex. 2 minutes."

"Look, I've always wanted to say how sorry I was but you went missing from my line of sight for 4 years. I broke up with her when I realized that I love you. If you would, please give me another chance." Alex requested.

"5 years too late. I don't need your pity, I don't need your apology and I sure as hell don't love you anymore. What I do now; there's no future for us. I don't believe in 2nd chances, Alex. You of all people should know that. Time's up. Get out of my house." She ordered him as she went back inside. While it was true that they didn't have a future anymore, the lie was saying that she no longer loved him.

"Uncle Damon! When do we leave?" She asked, putting up the façade that was very similar to her father's.

"Uh…if we leave now, we can get there 4 days before the race. Maybe 3 days before it depending on the traffic. Your hover car can be put in Auto-drive mode to California." He explained.

"Then pack your things. We leave ASAP. Call the Principal of the kids' school and tell them they're going with us to the races. I'll go to the basement, grab the chips and the sodas and we'll take 2 cars. My hover car can follow us via auto drive." She explained as she headed for the basement. She immediately grabbed the coolers and the crate of Pepsis. When she was about to grab a bag of Lays, however, she screamed her head off and ran upstairs with the coolers and crate of Pepsis and Red Bulls.

"Celeste? What's wrong?" Levi asked as he ran into her in the living room. Petra and Natalie came down immediately.

"Spi-Spider…bag of Lays…fucking…kill-"She tried to wheeze out but she was too out of breath to speak clearly.

"Let me check out what she's saying." Aunt Natalie volunteered. "So, spider by a bag of Lays?"

Celeste nodded as she took deep breaths.

"And you want someone to kill it?" She asked and Celeste nodded again. Natalie rolled her eyes and headed for the basement.

"Geez, one spider in the head from Hanji and you're freaking out about every single one of them." Petra said.

"Actually, she's been scared of them ever since she was little." Rex said as he came down with his things.

"Spider gone. Go get your chips." Aunt Natalie announced as she held a bundle of tissues in her hand. Celeste was hesitant so Natalie showed her the dead spider. Celeste immediately screamed and ran away to the basement and ransacked all the potato chips before heading back upstairs. The Knight Mansion's basement was being used as a pantry for junk food and sodas and needless to say, they have about a year's worth of it. Putting the chips in 2 bags after equally distributing it, she immediately put a ton of ice on both coolers and equally distributed the Pepsis and the Red Bulls. Everyone in the family loved Pepsi so that's the usual soda. The Red Bulls, however, were used for long road trips like these. Celeste went back to the living room and set the items there. The Kids came down with their things while Celeste went upstairs to get her things.

"Alright! We're ready!" Celeste yelled as went downstairs. Petra and Levi immediately came downstairs with their items.

"Ready to go?" Uncle Damon asked as he came down with Aunt Natalie.

"We are but it seems like the two stooges upstairs ain't." Celeste answered as she fiddled with Andrea's camera.

"BOYS! HURRY UP!" Natalie yelled. Immediately, Duncan came downstairs with Rex hot on his heels.

"Rex, you ride with me. I'll need to sleep eventually." Celeste said as she went out of the house with Petra and Levi and her share of soda and chips. They loaded their things into the car and got on.

"Dad, get in the back with Mom and put your seatbelts on."

"Why do I get stuck in the back?" He asked her.

"Now." She demanded. Her father may call the shots when it comes to what she does most of the time but when it comes to her car and its seating arrangements, that's her call. Sighing, Levi got in the back with Petra and they put their seatbelts on. Rex got on the passenger's seat with her.

"So, you excited for your new race?" He asked. Celeste took a deep breath and let it all sink in.

"Yeah. Just think; in 5 days, I'll be back on the tracks." She said with a smile as she put her aviators on. It seemed like Uncle Damon turned the Auto drive mode of her car on and started honking at her.

"So, mom, dad, get ready. We're about to go on the road to Santa Monica, then you guys will get to see the ocean for the first time." She said. Petra smiled widely at her while Levi looked on with an amused face as he held Petra's hand. With a wide smile, Celeste stepped on the gas and they went on their way.

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**AN: And that is Chapter XXVII! I hope it ain't too piss poor for you guys but I tried my best on this one. ****Thanks to those who will review, favourite or follow. I hope you guys enjoyed this!**


	29. Chapter 28: Santa Monica

**AN: Alright! Here we are in Chapter XXVIII! How did you people like the previous chapter? I hope you guys liked it a lot. Anyways, thanks to those who reviewed, followed and favourite due to the previous chapters. They are very much appreciated. This chapter just tells you what they do when they arrive in Santa Monica. Anyhoo, I hope you guys enjoy this!**

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**CHAPTER XXVIII:**

**SANTA MONICA**

It was in the middle of the night and Celeste was still driving her car while Rex, Levi and Petra slept. They've been driving for 14 hours straight and Celeste still hasn't asked for a driver change. Aunt Natalie and Uncle Damon switched an hour ago though. She sustained herself with Red Bull and Potato Chips and the occasional burgers and pizza she'd buy for them. She took another sip of Red Bull and ate some potato chips. She's not even sleepy.

"Celeste?" She heard someone call for her. Looking in the rear-view mirror, she saw that Petra woke up.

"Oh, hey. What are you doing up? Get some sleep. We got about another 12 hours before we get to California." She said. They were about to exit Idaho in another hour.

"I've gotten enough sleep. Did you get some sleep?" Petra asked her worriedly. She knew that Celeste most likely didn't get enough sleep the night before thanks to her Red Anomaly induced nightmare.

"No. I've been driving for 14 hours straight. I don't need the sleep." She answered. To be honest, her body's starting to build up immunity against the Red Bull so she was getting a little tired. She turned the radio on to some soft piano music to lull Petra back to sleep. Unfortunately, it was starting to lull her to sleep too.

"Hey." Rex said as he patted her shoulder.

"Yeah?" She asked as she finished her Red Bull.

"You're starting to fall asleep. Let's switch." He offered. Celeste looked in the rear-view mirror and saw that Petra has fallen asleep once more. She had to admit it but she was tired and she wanted to sleep as well. Grabbing the walkie talkie, she radioed Natalie.

"Yeah, Yo, mind pulling over? Rex and I are switching drivers, over." She requested.

"Copy that, over." Aunt Natalie answered.

"Alright, thanks." She replied. They pulled over at the side of the road and got off the car. The stop jolted Petra and Levi awake.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Celeste and I are just switching drivers. She needs some sleep. Nothing to worry about." Rex explained as they got back in the car. Immediately when she got in, Celeste reclined her chair, went on her side and fell asleep. With a small smile, Petra held her hand tightly before leaning back on Levi's chest and closing her eyes once more. Levi, on the other hand, just grabbed their hands before falling asleep.

Unfortunately for the 19 year old, just as she fell asleep, she started dreaming. Celeste was dreaming that she was in that horrid timeline once again. To make matters worse, it always shifted between the 57th Expedition where her mother dies and the one where her father failed to protect Petra and her younger brother. Once the images were done flashing themselves, she woke up immediately.

"AAAAAH!" She screamed as she bolted in her seat. It scared the crap out of Rex that he almost went to the next lane where in an oncoming truck would've hit them.

"What the fuck?" Levi asked as he and Petra woke up.

"Are you alright?" Rex asked as he kept driving.

"Where are we?" She asked him.

"Wha? We're halfway through Nevada." He answered as Celeste took deep breaths and rubbed her eyes.

"We're switching. Keep me awake." She decided. Rex knew better than to argue with Celeste so he grabbed the talkie.

"Hey, Duncan, pull over. Celeste and I are switching." He reported.

"Got it." Duncan answered as he pulled over the side of the road. When Rex and Celeste switched places, she immediately honked and they went on their way.

"Was it the nightmares again, Celeste?" Petra asked and she nodded as she drove on.

"Nightmares? Again? What nightmares?" Levi asked. Celeste angrily glared at him via the rear-view mirror. The dreams weren't helping her attitude towards her father.

"Tell him, mom." She dared Petra. Rex and Levi listened intently as Petra told her husband what Celeste saw in the Red Anomaly and therefore started dreaming about. By the end of it, Levi wasn't sure what to say to comfort Celeste. For the first time in his life, he didn't know what to do.

"Listen, don't let her get to you if she randomly snaps. When she's tired or cranky, it clouds her judgment." Rex told them.

"Yeah, sure, put it that way, Rex." She told him as she drove.

"Uh-oh…you guys might want to buckle up too." He told them as they put on their seatbelts. Whenever Celeste is angry, she goes beyond the recommended speed limit. Something that she is currently doing right now.

"Rex, what's going on?" Duncan asked them.

"Uh, yeah, it's Celeste. She's pissed because of some nightmare." He reported back.

"Well, calm her down before she gets pulled over." Uncle Damon butted in. Rex hung up immediately.

"You guys got any ideas on how to calm her down?" She asked. Levi looked at Petra for answers, knowing she was closer to the girl than he ever is.

"Celeste, calm down. Please. What you dreamed about; it's not true. None of it is ever going to happen. Trust us, please. We're here and we're never going anywhere. You have to believe us, please." Petra begged as she grabbed her shoulders. That snapped Celeste out of her anger that she pulled over and waved to the other car to go on ahead.

"Feel better?" Rex asked.

"I calmed down a bit. That doesn't make me feel any better." She answered before stepping on the gas once more.

"Pepsi or Red Bull?" Petra asked her.

"Red Bull. Keep me awake." She answered. Petra handed her one and they silently kept on driving.

About hours later, Petra felt someone shaking her awake. She didn't realize that she's fallen asleep.

"What?" She asked.

"Wake dad up and look out the window." Celeste told them. Levi woke up at the mention of his name and they obeyed Celeste and their jaws practically dropped.

They were looking at the ocean.

"Armin's going to eat his heart out, isn't he?" She asked with a smile. "I'll show you guys an additional something later but right now, we got to get to the house and get some rest."

"House?" Petra asked. Did they turn back to North Dakota or something?

"We're a racing family and all 50 states in America has a race track. So whenever Celeste has a race in one of those states, we go to a house there. We have a house in all 50 states." Rex answered. After a while, they finally arrived at the house. It was pretty large but not beachfront. The kids immediately tried to rush in but Celeste stopped them.

"Whoa, whoa. Don't come in. At least, not until I say so." She warned them as she pulled the pistol from her back. The Knight Family always had assassins after them whenever there's a big race happening. Cautiously, she entered the house and pointed her gun.

"I know you're in there!" She yelled. Just then, a man with a black mask jumped at her with a knife. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to block in time so it resulted in a deep gash in her neck. She immediately fired her gun which hit the assassin in the leg. She stood up and tackled him before hitting him again and again and again. In all her years of dealing with assassins, they never learn not to mess with the Black Knight of North Dakota. When he was completely knocked out, she dragged him out of the house and threw him in front of them.

"Take him to the nearest police station. You guys can go in now." Celeste explained. The kids rushed in immediately and headed upstairs while Uncle Damon loaded the assassin in the car and driving off. Celeste grabbed their things and lugged them inside.

"Celeste, pull your jacket collar down." Levi ordered her as they entered. She did so and the adults gasped upon seeing the ice covered wound.

"Nothing a little ice can't fix." She answered as she headed upstairs with their things. As usual, she stuck her parents in the guest room before heading to her own. She took a shower immediately before heading out back to sit on the swing and taking some fresh air.

"Fine day, isn't it?" She heard someone say. Turning her head, she saw Duncan sitting beside her.

"Oh, yeah. Fine day." Celeste answered sarcastically. Celeste could read between the lines; she knew that Duncan wanted to ask her about what she dreamt about. For his sake, she hopes she doesn't.

"So, how was life back in the past?" He asked. Celeste smiled and chuckled.

"Well, it wasn't really pretty. The only beautiful thing there is that there are plenty of trees and flowers. And night sky is very clear you can see the stars almost as if you can just pluck them. No one there has seen the ocean or volcanoes or a desert. The titans are the only problem. One wrong move and humanity can go extinct. God knows the Legion has already lost so much."

"So, you're parents seem pretty cool. Tell me about them." He requested. Celeste hesitated but told him anyways. They were family now. She's pretty sure they'll be fine with it.

"Well, dad was an orphan who became a thug. Eventually, Commander Irvin of the Scouting Legion offered him the chance to sign up and he took it. Eventually, he earned the title of 'Humanity's Strongest Soldier'. Then he met my mom. He handpicked her with 3 other men to be a part of the Spec Ops Squad. Man, I've seen them during the 57th Expedition, which happened about a couple of months before I was born thanks to an Anomaly. They were the best of the best. They can sync without even talking to each other."

Duncan saw the way Celeste's eyes lit up as she explained everything to him. He saw a girl who had passion for what she did. He saw a girl who admired her parents for what they did.

"Sadly, the 3 men died during that Expedition. That Titan was smart, man. You should've seen it. Mom almost died which eventually led to dad's confession of his feelings. One thing led to another and here I am." Celeste added. Duncan chuckled in response at the story.

"Well, I see where you get your looks. Your mom's pretty hot. Not surprised a hardass like your dad fell for her." He told her.

"Hey, my mom is beloved by men from the Trost District to the nobles of Utopia. Women are actually jealous because only she had the charm and beauty to melt Captain Levi's Ice Cold Heart. If that ain't enough to be a testament to my mother's charm and beauty, you should see how the women, Commoners and Nobles alike, reacted when they found out that she was bearing Captain Levi's child; they basically ate their hearts out. I mean the Commander pretty much threw a party for everyone when my parents were expecting and another party for when I was born." She countered. Hanji and Commander Irvin told her those stories when Petra was still suffering from Amnesia.

'Yep; pure admiration, alright.' Duncan mentally decided. Celeste checked the time on her watch and realized it was 4:30 PM. They've been sitting out here for too long?

"I got to go. I promised my parents I'd show them something else as a bonus." She replied before grabbing two handkerchiefs from her back pocket. Walking inside, she immediately wrapped a handkerchief around Petra's eyes.

"I'll show you something later on, alright." She whispered as she moved on to Levi.

"The fuck are you doing, Celeste?" He asked emotionlessly. Celeste immediately stood up once she was done and made them hold hands.

"I'm sorry, do you guys want to see the bonus that comes with the ocean or do one of you want to return to the thug life and shag random chicks? If you want the former, I suggest you calm your pants." She snapped at him. To be honest, she's still affected by the Red Anomaly so what she said most likely hit home with Levi.

"Good. Both of you stand up and no matter what happens do not let go of each other's hands." Celeste told them as she grabbed Petra's other hand and led them out of the house. She made them go in the backseat of the car and put their seatbelts on before getting on the driver's side and driving to the Santa Monica Pier. After parking the car, she dragged them out of the car. She dragged them to the beach by the pier. Thankfully, not a lot of people were swimming and hanging around the beach, otherwise they'd get culture shock.

"Okay, you guys can take them off now." She said. When they did, again, their jaws basically dropped to the ground.

"It's your first time seeing the sunset, right? I thought I'd grant it to you guys." Celeste said. She was never really sentimental so it was hard wording those out. Oh God, she's too much like her father, isn't she?

"Yes, this is our first time. Thank you, Celeste." Petra said as she hugged her daughter around the waist. She sure as hell can't wrap her arms around Celeste considering she kinda towered over her.

"Yeah, yeah. The Ocean is always the best place to see the sunset." Celeste said as they separated and sat on the sand. Pulling out her phone, she took pictures of it.

"Armin is SO gonna eat his heart out." She said. Her entire being filled with glee at the thought of torturing the poor boy. Petra patted her head as they watched the sunset. She looked at Levi and gestured towards Celeste. Earlier, she's been begging him to talk to Celeste about the new issue that just rose up. He immediately stood up and walked up to Celeste.

"Oi, brat, let's talk." He said as he dragged her up. Petra almost facepalmed at him; that was not the approach she wanted him to do. He was talking to a 19 year old who has mood swings because of a bad dream.

"What do you want? We can't just leave Mom alone there?" She growled at him.

"Your dream. What are you so afraid of? Haven't I told you once that I would never leave you or your mother?" He snapped at her.

"That's rich coming from a big time soldier who can easily go back to his old ways and let this family fall apart." Celeste retorted.

"No. Celeste, I know I have a hard time expressing my emotions but even though I don't show it, I do love you. And I love your mother. So, I'm not leaving the two of you unless I die in the battlefield. Just because one boy did something bad to you it doesn't mean that I will."

Celeste could see the sincerity in his eyes and she nodded as she bowed her head in shame.

"Come on, let's go back before your mother pisses herself like in her first Expedition." He quipped and Celeste giggled. After a minute of walking, they found Petra still watching the ocean.

"Having fun, mom?" She asked as she sat behind Petra and laid her chin on her head.

"Yeah, this is nice." She answered. Petra was very grateful that she survived all those Expeditions and had a wonderful (albeit dysfunctional) family.

"Hang on, both of you stay here. I'll be back with something." Celeste said before standing up. It only took her 3 minutes before coming back with three cones of Chocolate Ice Cream.

"Here. It's called Ice Cream. Eat it, come on. It won't hurt. It's just cold." She told them as she handed it to them. They each took one and mimicked Celeste as she licked her Ice Cream.

"It's good." Levi said emotionlessly.

"It should be. It's from one of the best Ice Cream Parlours in the Santa Monica Pier. Eat it quick or it'll melt." Celeste replied. The name 'Cassandra Knight' does wonders sometimes. Usually, that place is packed with people but the moment she walked in, they started parting like the Red Sea.

"Thank you, Celeste." Petra said once more and she kissed her on the cheek, leaving a chocolate kiss mark on her cheek.

"No problem." Celeste replied as she wiped the kiss mark away. As the sun went down, Celeste didn't realize that she was already leaning against her father until he patted her head and wrapped his arm around her waist.

'This is nice.' Celeste thought as she gazed along the sunset.

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**AN: And that is Chapter XXVIII! I hope it didn't suck so much but I'm having trouble organizing my thoughts as of late. I hope you guys enjoyed this though and that it's not too piss poor. Anyhow, Thanks to those who reviewed and will review!**


	30. Chapter 29: Brawl Race

**AN: CHAPTER XXIX IS HERE! I just noticed I have 69 reviews already...hehe...69. Okay, my dirty mind aside, I got news for you guys; I won't sugarcoat it nor will I beat around the bush but by the end of the Future Arc, I MIGHT (note the big Might) start the Finale Arc and yes, the three alternate endings are already drafted. However, what I don't know is if I'll be able to formulate a sequel or a prequel for this. Anyways, this is part 7 of I-have-no-fucking-idea-how-many of the Future Arc and the start of this chapter is a (hopefully sweet) family moment. With any luck, this would be a long chapter. I hope you guys enjoy this and thanks to those who reviewed, favourited and followed this story. I love you all!**

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**CHAPTER XXIX:**

**BRAWL RACE**

When Celeste drove Levi and Petra home, she immediately fell asleep on the wheel. She was still pretty tired considering her sleep has always been plagued by nightmares lately. Levi immediately got off the car and helped Petra out before pulling Celeste out of her side of the car and carrying her inside.

"Did you guys use a tranquilizer on her?" Andrew jokingly asked.

"She's just pretty tired, buddy. Celeste hasn't been sleeping well lately." Rex answered as he patted the boy's head. "Her room is upstairs. 2nd door down the hallway when you get off the stairs."

Levi nodded and brought her up to her room and settled her on her bed after taking her boots off. He pulled the covers over her and sat beside her, holding her hand. Then, he heard someone knock on the door.

"Levi?"

He turned around and saw Petra leaning by the doorway.

"Dinner's ready. Is she tuckered out?" She asked as she sat beside Celeste. Levi simply nodded in response. Petra was worried for Celeste. She was too reckless on the battlefield and Petra feared it'll be the death of her. This dangerous race she was about to participate in isn't helping her worries either.

"You think we should have Irvin transfer her? To the Garrison? Or better yet the Military Police? She is in the Top Ten." Petra suggested.

"Why?" Levi asked her as he ran his fingers through Celeste's hair.

"I'm worried for her. She's too reckless in the field." She answered as she patted Celeste's head to calm the fidgeting 19 year old down.

"I know she is. But Celeste is old enough to make her own decisions and we both know her pride would demand that she stay in the Legion." Levi answered. Petra could see his point. One thing that Celeste never inherited from either of them was being prideful. She knew that Celeste would never leave them to be with the Garrison or the 'Bitch Brigade' as she calls the Military Police. Just then, they sensed Celeste moving around again. They immediately sensed that she's having a nightmare.

"Celeste, calm down. It's just a dream. Mommy's here. Calm down." Petra whispered to the girl, who thankfully calmed down.

"One of us should stay with her. Stay alert so she doesn't wake up and lose sleep." Levi suggested.

"I'll stay." Petra volunteered. "Now, let's have some dinner."

They kissed Celeste's forehead and went downstairs. Once they were done, Petra immediately accompanied Celeste to bed. Celeste opened her eyes a bit and snuggled up to Petra.

"Good Night, Celeste." She greeted the sleeping girl as she hugged her and falling asleep.

**3 DAYS LATER**

3 days since their arrival in Santa Monica, it was now the time of the big race. Celeste was doing some last minute preparations in the backyard that morning. For 3 days, Levi, Petra and Uncle Damon taught her how to improve her hand to hand combat skills should she lose her weapon during the battle in the race. Those were also the days that Celeste learned that her mother, while petite and smaller than her, can pack quite a punch. As of now, Celeste was doing some knuckle ups (1) in the backyard. The race takes place at 6:30 PM but she'd have to get there by 12 for examinations to see if she's physically fit to race and to explain how the race would go. What makes the knuckle ups difficult? Well, aside from the fact that Celeste is pushing herself up with her knuckles, there's an 11 year old sitting on her back, reading a book.

"What's the count?" She asked as she momentarily took her an earphone off.

"234." Janine deadpanned while she read. 234? That's a long way to go from beating her previous record of 300. She stuck the earphone back and kept going but it didn't take too long before Janine poked her head.

"What?" Celeste asked.

"Dad said hit the showers." Janine answered as she walked in the house. Celeste headed inside almost immediately.

"Whoa, what did you do that got you sweating so badly?" Andrea asked her.

"Treadmill, Pull ups, Sit Ups and Knuckle ups." She answered as she grabbed a can of Red Bull and headed upstairs. When she got to her room, she saw that Aunt Natalie already packed a bag with her helmet, gloves and leather jacket. She had her Aunt modify the leather jacket. It now bears the Wings of Freedom on the back and the right shoulder as well as the right breast pocket. Taking a shower, she wore half of her outfit already which consists of black pants, black boots and black shirt. She wasn't called the Black Knight of North Dakota for nothing. Heading downstairs with her things, she saw that everyone was dressed casually, including her parents.

"Let's go." She said as she walked past them and to the car. Her parents and Rex were riding with her while the others take the other car and as usual, her hover car would be on Auto drive mode to the tracks. They got in their cars and drove to the venue. When they got there, there weren't a lot of reporters. Yet. The moment they were about to enter her locker room, shit hit the fan.

"Well, well, well, look who's back on the tracks after 4 years." A familiar voice said. Celeste opened the door and the kids rushed in. Celeste turned around only to see Lewis Gardener. Her sworn rival.

"Oh, Gardener, still having fun being 2nd fiddle to us Knights?" She taunted him. Petra sensed that a fight was coming so she immediately held Celeste's wrist. That cocky smirk on Gardener's face fell immediately.

"Why does it sound like there's someone growling?" Petra asked curiously.

"They're releasing what people like to call the Two Dogs Aura." Natalie answered. Lewis and Celeste have been rivals ever since Celeste started racing when she was 12. Before Celeste, Lewis dominated the race tracks so having a girl 4 years your junior beat you in every single race you both participate in is a tad bit frustrating. They get at each other's throats like two vicious dogs.

"So, who are the two short stuffs behind you?" He asked. Celeste's eyes immediately turned murderous.

"Said short stuffs are my biological parents for your information." Celeste deadpanned as she blocked Levi from attacking Gardener.

"Oh, so I guess your whore mother and dead beat father finally came back for you." He taunted with a sadistic smile. Oh, if Gardener is a sadist, Celeste is worse. With an angry yell, she immediately tackled him outside to the locker rooms. Reporters flocked them immediately. Celeste kept throwing punches in Gardener's body.

"Don't…you…fucking…dare…insult…my…parents…like…tha t!" She yelled angrily at him. She punctuated every remark with a punch.

"Celeste, no!" Petra yelled as she yanked the girl away from Lewis. He was basically bleeding all over his face. Petra immediately led her away from the other people and pushed her to the safety of her locker room.

"Oh dear God, no. What happened?" Rex asked as he tended to Celeste's bloody knuckles.

"Gardener insulted Petra and Levi. If you ask me, he had it coming." Uncle Damon answered.

"Damn right, he did. Nobody insults this family or anyone we treat as a part of it." Natalie said. Celeste cringed in pain at the stinging alcohol that hit her knuckles as Rex applied some alcohol to it. Just then, they heard someone knock and Duncan moved to open it. On the other side is a brunette woman with grey eyes, holding a bag with her. She had a badge on her shirt that said 'Doctor'.

"Doctor Michelle Sterling. I'm here to examine if Cassandra Knight is fit to race today." She said. Uncle Damon made a gesture for her to come in. She did so while she pulled a portable X-Ray from her bag. Nowadays, the Doctors who examine the racing participants carry an X-Ray the size of an iPad with them to examine the racer if they refuse to leave their locker rooms.

"Lie down." She ordered. Celeste immediately lied down on the bench while Doctor Sterling ran the X-ray over her body.

"Quite the spectacle you caused out there, Miss Knight." The Doctor pointed out. "Judging from what you did, Gardener would be lucky if he can still race."

"He had coming. And I'm not even through with him yet." She answered.

"How's that?" She asked.

"Let's just say he's going to be my next toy when the Final Lap's battle comes." She answered with a sadistic glint in her eyes.

"As expected from the Black Knight of North Dakota. Sit up." Doctor Sterling ordered as she pulled out a stethoscope from her bag and stuck it underneath Celeste's shirt. The usual breathe in, breathe out procedure was done and the examinations were over. After a while, another knock came to their door. This time, Celeste walked up to the door and opened it. It was the Racing Official that handed them their invitation.

"Yes, what do you want, Mr. Man-in-the-blue-suit?" Celeste asked quite rudely which resulted in a whack in the head from Petra.

"Be nice." She scolded her daughter. Celeste stepped aside and let the 'Man-in-the-blue-suit' in.

"I suppose that's my fault. You have a knack for naming things, Miss Knight. I'm David Winchester. I'm here to explain to you the track and how this race would go."

"Oh, that. Well, get on with it then." Celeste said. Winchester immediately showed them a holomap of the Santa Monica track. It was quite long. At first you'd have to go through a stretch, then the zone called 'Spiral to heaven', then the zigzag zone called 'Drift Lane', then the 'Spiral to Hell', after that comes the 'Water Zone' where you'd have little to Zero visibility and you'll only be guided by GPS thanks to the long artificial waterfall before another stretch that would take you back to the starting point. There was a stop zone in between the 'Spiral to Hell' and the 'Water Zone' though. No doubt the arena where she has to battle other people.

"So, the Santa Monica track; first you'll obviously go through the stretch which would lead you to the 'Spiral to Heaven'. You'd have to keep your speed or faster or else it would be hard to recover from if something happens to you. It could cost you your position. Once you're out there, it'll take you to 'Drift Lane'. You'd have to be mindful or it could result in a crash. We suggest slowing down at drift points." Winchester explained and Celeste snorted.

"Been there." She muttered. Her first crash happened in Drift Lane at the 2nd lap. The glass shard from her car's windshield gave her the scar in her collarbone. Petra and Levi looked at her with questioning looks in their faces. Celeste only pointed at the area where the collarbone scar was.

"After 'Drift Lane' is the 'Spiral to Hell'. Again, you'd have to keep your speed for this one. After that is the Arena. You'd have to take down 8 people in the first lap, 8 in the second and 7 in third to keep the race going but since the rules have changed, you can take down the last 8 in the third lap for a guaranteed win. After fighting, you and other racers would have to go through the 'Water Zone'. Please, be careful and follow the GPS. We don't want a repeat of what happened when you were 12." Winchester said. When Celeste was 12, she almost fell off the 'Water Zone' in the 1st lap for not following the GPS. How the hell was she supposed to know that the area didn't have any railings whatsoever?

"After that is another stretch that would take you back to the starting point. And…I guess that's it. After that, you'd just have to repeat the process twice." He added.

"Yeah, got it; Race like there's no tomorrow, get to first place, take down 8 people before anyone else and get back to the starting point while still in first place. Rinse and Repeat, got it." Celeste said with a poker face. With a nod, Winchester left the room with the holomap. They remained in the Locker room, watching TV until the bells rang.

"Uh-oh…the bells are ringing. It's a signal to get your shit done. Duncan, Rex, help me get the hover car to Celeste's area." Uncle Damon said. The three boys left while Celeste donned her gloves and her black leather jacket and zipped it up.

"You actually went through with putting the Legion emblem on it." Levi pointed out.

"Of course. I'd proudly bear this wherever I go." She said as she grabbed her helmet. Aunt Natalie was waiting outside with the kids.

"Be careful out there, Celeste." Petra said as she patted her head.

"I will. Don't worry about me. I haven't gone this far to die now." She said with a small smile.

"Show them the power of the Scouting Legion." Levi said and Celeste nodded.

"Listen, stay close to the others alright. No one should bother you as long as you guys are with them." Celeste said and they nodded before hugging her.

"I'll be back, mom. Don't worry." She said as they separated. After that, they walked out of the room and went their separate ways.

Celeste walked up to her Uncle and cousins just as they finished final preparations on her car. It was a bit overwhelming; the people were cheering for her. Millions were expecting her to win.

"Hey, everything alright?" She asked them.

"Yeah. Be careful, Celeste. This is your first Brawl Race. Don't cock it up." Uncle Damon warned her. Celeste chuckled and nodded. The three boys pulled her into a hug before walking away and heading up to the Knight Family's booth. Celeste donned her helmet and got on the car. From where she was sitting, she can see the nervous look on her mother's face.

"Celeste?" She heard Uncle Damon call for her. Her helmet had a built in headset so she can speak to her Uncle when he has to give her warnings.

"Yeah?" She replied as she started her engine.

"You doing okay? You seem nervous." Damon said.

"I'm fine. I'm sure this'll be just like riding a bike." She replied. She had every reason to be nervous. It's her first time back in the tracks after nearly 4 years.

"START YOUR ENGINES!" The commentator announced just as a floating traffic light appeared in front of them. When it turned green, Celeste immediately stepped on it, gaining 2nd place almost immediately.

"And they're off. Michael Bennett of Bennett Motors is on the lead, followed by Cassandra Knight and Lewis Gardener!" The commentator announced. Celeste focused all that she's got on overtaking Bennett.

'This guy must be new. I've never heard of a Michael Bennett before.' She thought.

"Uncle, what do you got on Michael Bennett?" She asked as she was neck and neck with the guy.

"Well, he's new. He's Rex's rival. The Blue Lion of New York." He answered.

"New guy, huh? Should be easy to beat." She decided. While you can't take out people on the tracks if you're on a Brawl Race, it is possible to slow them down. With that said, Celeste immediately bumped him hard against the wall and overtook him just as they got to the Spiral to Heaven.

"Cassandra Knight just overtook Michael Bennett and is now dominating the 'Spiral to Heaven'." The commentator announced. Once she was a bit far off from them, she turned around and put her car on Reverse. That way, she was still going up the Spiral to Heaven. Just in backwards.

"It seems like Cassandra Knight is taunting the other racers. Look at her go even on Reverse." A commentator said.

"Celeste, what the fuck are you doing?" Damon asked her.

"Oh…you know, showing the people something new." She replied with a smirk.

"Well, you might want to cut that out because you're approaching 'Drift Lane'." He answered. Celeste put her car back to normal and faced front just as she got to 'Drift Lane'.

"Now, we all know what happened to Cassandra Knight at 'Drift Lane' when she was 12, right?" One of the Commentators said.

"That's right. She crashed and was hospitalized for a week and gained an ugly scar on her collarbone. Let's see how she fares now." The other commentator answered. Celeste went through 'Drift Lane' in a breeze. She almost crashed at one point but pulled through, nonetheless.

"Cassandra Knight makes it past the 'Drift Lane'! That's pretty impressive for someone who never went near the Santa Monica tracks for 7 years after their crash." One of the Commentators yelled.

"Oh, ye of little faith!" She commented as she was entered 'Spiral to Hell'.

"Cassandra Knight is still in first place as she goes through the 'Spiral to Hell'. Even though Michael Bennett is pretty far from her, he's still in 2nd place and that leaves a huge possibility of him catching up to her." A commentator announced. Just then, Celeste stopped at the arena and parked her car.

"Oh, Cassandra Knight is in the Arena. Let's see what tricks she has on her sleeve."

"Celeste, I've put two Beam Sabres under your seat. Use it. I had a feeling you're not used to fighting with one sword." Uncle Damon said. Celeste grabbed it. They had the handles of a normal sword but no blades.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" She asked as she got off her car, not even bothering to take off her helmet. The arena had Pillars around them. She created an ice ladder on one of them and melted it once she perched herself atop of the pillar.

"Press the red button in the middle of the handle." Uncle Damon answered. She did so and they sprouted blue and red blades. Just then, the other racers came and they'd have to wait 30 seconds before fighting can commence. She stood up and saw that none of them even noticed her. They heard a gunshot, signalling that they can make the first move. They were too slow, however, because Celeste used an Ice Slide and did an own variation of her and her father's attack against the Titans. Without a 3DMG to execute it, she had to improvise. 8 fell to her blades. They have special padding that, once torn, would signify their elimination from the race.

"OH! DID YOU PEOPLE SEE THAT? Cassandra Knight moved so fast you can barely see her! It's to be expected from the Black Knight of North Dakota after all!" A commentator yelled out.

"I'll deal with you guys later." She threatened. She saw that Bennett fell to her blade but not Gardener, which is good. Otherwise, she'll lose her toy. She got back in her car and continued driving as fast as she could. She was approaching the 'Water Zone' fast.

"Turn your GPS on, Celeste." Damon warned her. She flipped the switch and the screen by the side showed up.

"I'm ready." She said. "GP, I need a guide to the Santa Monica track's 'Water Zone'."

Once she entered the Water Zone, GP started talking.

"LEFT!" It yelled. Celeste almost shat bricks; her GPS' voice sounded like Rajesh Koothrapali from the Big Bang Theory instructing an aerobics class. She can hear Damon and Duncan snickering from the other side while GP was yelling out directions.

"OH, COME ON! What did you guys do to GP?" She questioned angrily which only made them laugh more.

"Never mind." She replied as she got out of the 'Water Zone'. She turned GP off immediately as she passed the first lap. She went through the previous areas in a breeze. This time, however, Gardener is hot on her heels. Finally, she stopped at the arena once more and like before, she climbed a pillar just as the others stopped. Unfortunately, that didn't leave her any time to melt the ice ladder. 30 seconds wouldn't do it.

"KNIGHT!" Gardener yelled out as he tried to shoot her foot. Celeste created another Ice Slide and started going past them, hitting their paddings. As usual, she left Gardener alive and kept going her way. Rinse and Repeat. Eventually, she got to the third lap but Gardener was catching up on her. Eventually, they all stopped at the arena yet again and waited for the 30 second count to end.

"I got to say, it's an honour to battle the Black Knight of North Dakota." A young racer said as he pulled his machete out. Celeste's face was still covered by her helmet.

"Pleasure to battle all of you as well. Leave Gardener to me, though. I'm still not done with him for insulting my real parents." She warned other 6 racers. Finally the count ended and Celeste immediately moved and slashed their paddings until only she and Gardener were left.

"You know, if I wasn't so pissed at you right now, I'd let you go and let our race continue. But unfortunately for you, you get to be my new toy." Celeste said as she rushed at him. Unfortunately, Gardener had good reflexes because he was able to block her attack.

"Oh, it seems like the outcast of the Knight Family knows some moves." Gardener taunted. With an angry cry, she attacked them.

"Geez, you never learn do you? Anger never gets you anywhere, Knight."

"I never was a fast learner." Celeste answered as she threw him back, forcing him to the ground. She immediately jumped and brought her sabre down on him but he blocked her. Celeste, however, forced her sword down which in turn was forcing his sword down. He, however, kicked her and did the same thing. One of Celeste's sabres was knocked away from her. So, she had to settle for using one. He forced her sabre down on him. She flailed her hand for her other sabre and when she grabbed it, she punched him in the face. When Celeste stood up, he jumped at her. She retaliated by slicing the padding in his right shoulder and both thighs. That signified his elimination.

"Just so you know, beat me or no. Wouldn't have made a difference. I'd still win because of point accumulation." She reminded him before punching him in the face again and again. Once she'd had her fill, she stood up and got back in her car. Once she sped to the finish line, the people were cheering and chanting her name. Taking deep breaths, she took her helmet off. An official helped her to the stage since she was too much in shock to walk up there on her own.

"Cassandra Knight, we proudly hand you this trophy and this invitation to the Semi Finals." Winchester said as he handed her the trophy and the invitation.

"HEY!" She heard someone yell. Turning around, she saw the kids running up to her. With a wide smile, Celeste kneeled down and hugged them.

"That was awesome, Celeste!" Andrew praised her. She stood up and hugged Uncle Damon and Aunt Natalie.

"Raphael and Clara would be proud of you, Celeste. Federico would be too." Aunt Natalie said as they separated. Rex and Duncan hugged her as well. Behind them were Levi and Petra. She approached them and hugged them immediately.

"I told you I'd come back, didn't I?" She told them.

"We never doubted you for a second." Levi answered as they separated.

"Just don't get too much close calls like that next time, alright?" Petra requested and she simply nodded in reply. Cameras flashed and took pictures of the big, happy family.

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**AN: HOLY SHIT ON HIGH TOILET FITTING FOR A TITAN'S ASS! 4000 FUCKING WORDS? That is the longest I have ever written in my pathetic life! Anyways, here is what the number means:**

**1 – Knuckle Ups are a type of push ups that…well…obviously, requires you to use your knuckles instead of your hands.**

**Anyways, that is Chapter XXIX! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and Thanks to those who reviewed and will review!**


	31. Chapter 30: Dinner Encounters

**AN: WEEEEE! OH YEAH! 70 reviews! I love you! I love all you of you, my lovely readers! By the way, I edited Chapter III; instead of Celeste being sent back to 865, she was sent back to 866 to fit the timeline that she was 15 when she went back to her real time because she was born on March 25, 851. Anyways, here is Chapter XXX! Thanks to those who reviewed, followed and favourited! I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter.**

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**CHAPTER XXX:**

**DINNER ENCOUNTERS**

Later that evening, Celeste was sitting in her locker room, freshly showered and wearing her spare uniform. There was a casual party later on in the track's function room that overlooks the beach. Participating Racers would have to wear their uniforms while everyone else can wear whatever the hell they want.

"Celeste?" She heard someone call for her. Turning back, she saw her mother by the doorway, approaching her and patting her head.

"How are you feeling?" Petra asked. She saw how shocked Celeste was earlier. Almost as if she couldn't believe that she won and what she did.

"Not too good." Celeste admitted.

"Well, do you want to go home?" She asked but she shook her head.

"I'm becoming like him, aren't I? I'm becoming like Dad when he was young."

So that was her problem. Celeste was obviously afraid of being like her father when he was young; someone who committed senseless acts of violence.

"No. Celeste, where we come from being violent is not uncommon. You did what you did to defend us." Petra said in order to comfort her.

"It's not? You mean, I'm not becoming like the thugs of Sina? Or the men who killed Mikasa's parents?" She asked, her eyes clearly begging for some reassurance. Petra patted her head before pinching her cheeks.

"No, my little angel. The men who killed Mikasa's parents and the thugs of Sina are violent for their own gains. I'm not saying I approve but you were violent because you wanted to defend someone. If you take a look at it, what you did wasn't really different from our job in the Legion. We become violent against the titans to protect the citizens of the Walls, don't we?" She said.

"I guess so." Celeste answered with a small smile. Suddenly, they heard a knock.

"Hey, let's go. Winning family goes down the grand staircase." Rex said. They both stood up and walked out of the room. Rex was to escort her down the staircase. Her dad escorts her mom, Duncan is with Janine, Uncle Damon escorts Aunt Natalie and Andrew would escort his twin.

"Yeah, we're ready." She answered. Rex offered his arm, which she took. After that, they headed to the grand staircase.

"Mom, Dad, try to keep your cool, alright. I'll protect you from the bad guys here in the future." She jokingly said.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the winner of the Santa Monica tracks Brawl Race, Cassandra Knight."

After that, announcement, they went down the staircase while Reporters took pictures of them. When they got to their assigned table, people started asking her questions.

"Where have you been for the past 4 years?" One reporter asked.

"Europe." She answered. Judging from the people and Eren's last name, she theorized that the Walls were in Europe. Possibly even Germany so, she wasn't technically lying.

"So, how did you and your real parents meet? What's your real name?" Another person asked.

"Uh…well…how the 3 of us met is pretty classified. My real name is Celeste. Celeste Ral. Try to get used to it." She replied with a wide smile as she drank her champagne.

"What did you and your parents do in the 4 years that you've been together?"

"That's pretty much none of your fucking business. I'm done with the questions." She answered. With that, the reporters walked away. They ate the food served while her mother and Uncle Damon and Aunt Natalie exchanged embarrassing stories of Celeste's training and while she was growing up, respectively. Levi, who has seen neither parts of Celeste's life, stayed quiet.

"And then she was like…what? 5 years old? She was running around and all of a sudden…BAM! She drops. Falls asleep on the floor in the middle of the living room." Uncle Damon narrates to her parents. Celeste was turning red from embarrassment yet she kept her poker face on.

"Stop it. Please." She begged.

"The closest thing to that back there is when one of the people in our squad, Armin, told us that she fell flat on her face due to broken training equipment. Unfortunately, she got a scar." Petra said as she lifted Celeste's blonde bangs to show them the scar by her eyebrow.

"Oh God. I'm going to get a drink." She said before standing up. She walked up to the bar immediately.

"Grasshopper (1). Stat." She ordered. After a couple of minutes, she received her order and walked back to the table.

"Hey, what are we talking about?" She asked.

"You know, just welcoming your parents to the family." Natalie answered. Celeste simply accepted her answer while she drank her Grasshopper.

"Whoa, you guys are freakishly alike." Andrea pointed out as she eyed Levi and Celeste.

"Oh, how so buddy?" She asked.

"It's not just the eye and the attitude department; it's the cup holding department too." Andrew answered for his twin.

"They're right, you know." Petra said as she popped a grape in her mouth. Celeste looked down immediately. Indeed, they were right. Both she and Levi hold their glasses and cups by the rim of the glass.

"Okay, well. I'm going to get some fresh air." Celeste said before standing up with her drink. Just as she was about to walk up to the balcony, a reporter approached her.

"Ms. Knight, hi. Other reporters and I were just wondering; the wings on your jacket, what do they mean? We noticed that your parents bear the same wings on their jackets." He said. Turning back, she saw that Petra and Levi were wearing their Scouting Legion jackets.

"Uh…where we come from we call these the Wings of Freedom." Celeste answered before walking away. She lingered in the balcony as she drank her grasshopper.

"Fancy seeing you here." A voice behind her said. Turning around, her eyes widened upon seeing her mother's reincarnation. Granted in this time, her parents have been dead for 2000 years so it's not surprising to see her mother's soul manifest in two bodies at the same time but it's just so fucking creepy.

"Oh, hi. What brings you here, Miss…" She trailed off upon realizing that she had no idea what this woman's name is.

"Stella. Stella Monroe." The woman, Stella, answered as she held her hand out. Celeste, who always had the mannerisms of a gentleman, took it and kissed her knuckles. Celeste also noticed the bite mark scar on her right hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Monroe. Your first name fits you. Stella is Latin for Star and indeed, your beauty makes you the star of the party." She commented. Smooth as a baby's bottom. She'd be getting girls left and right if ONLY she was born a guy!

"Pleasure. Do your real parents know about your playboy-ish ways?" Stella asked the girl.

"Oh, no. They'd be devastated and keep wondering if they're daughter was really born a son or not. My mother doesn't call me her little angel for nothing. Also it's very weird to be talking to you like this when the first time we met in the mall parking lot in North Dakota, we were talking like normal adults." Celeste replied with a wide smile.

"I see. Well, in these gatherings, being a proper lady is pretty much demanded of me by my family. As for what brings me here as you inquired earlier, aside from supporting my sister, whom you raced with earlier and took down in the first lap, I am also here to support my fiancée." She answered.

"Oh…Fiancée. Congratulations on your engagement, then. I'm curious though. Do you mind if I inquire on that scar on your hand? The one that looks like a bite mark." Celeste said. "I am merely curious of its origins."

Stella chuckled before answering her.

"Well then, Miss Knight. If it serves to quench your curiosity, I'll indulge you; it was a birth mark. Why it has taken that form is a mystery."

'Mystery for you but I have the answer. Not that I'm telling you, though.' Celeste thought before chuckling.

"As of all birth marks, we never really know why they take a certain form. Who is your sister?" Celeste followed up. She needed to know who the hell she took without her knowing.

"See that brunette with the ponytail, wearing a green uniform that says Monroe Motors? That's my sister, Hannah." Stella pointed out. And fucking hell, did Celeste's eyes widen like plates. Hannah Monroe was Hanji's reincarnation.

"I see. And your fiancée?" Celeste asked.

"He's over there with his brothers and his younger brother's fiancée." She answered. Looking over, she saw that her fiancée's brothers were the reincarnation of Eren and Commander Irvin, except the Commander became a red head and Eren became blonde. Eren was obviously the runt of that litter. His fiancée was a splitting image of Mikasa. Except she was a brunette. Stella's fiancée, who was approaching them, was none other than Michael Bennett, her dad's reincarnation.

'FUCKING HELL!' She screamed internally as she took a sip of her grasshopper.

"The Blue Lion of New York and my cousin's rival is your fiancée." Celeste said in amazement.

"Forgive me for not telling you who I am on our first encounter. I was hoping we'd race today and I feared you'd go easy on me if you knew who I really was." He said apathetically.

"You're mistaken, Bennett, I don't go easy on people. Especially the newbies in my eyes. Tough Love." She said with a small smile.

"Yes, well, if you'll excuse me. I'll just whisk my fiancée away for a dance. It was a pleasure to battle the Black Knight of North Dakota. I hope we race again on the 3 stop race in Vegas. I've been chosen to participate by the Racing League Council since you took all the points and Gardener came in 2nd for being the last man standing." Bennett said as he took Stella's hand and they went inside once more.

"Yes, a pleasure." Celeste said and just as she was drinking the last of her drink, Gardener approached her.

"Haven't you had enough?" She asked him as she put her glass down.

"Oh, I've had enough, alright. I've had enough of being 2nd fiddle to a 19 year old brat." Lewis said through gritted teeth.

"Are you going to kill me? Not too late to turn back. Once you kill me or even try, the authorities would know who to chase and you'd risk ruining your family. I'm giving you a chance to turn back now." Celeste warned him as she turned to face him.

"Whatever. It's a risk I'm willing to take." He said and he lunged at her. Unfortunately, due to her being a bit woozy thanks to the alcohol, she wasn't able to move or block in time and she felt something pierce her stomach. Celeste looked down and saw a blue knife embedded in her stomach. She held Lewis close to her and whispered in his ear.

"Just remember, you chose this. You should drill this in your head; women like me, we have quite the set of lungs."

With that, she released a loud howl of pain as she held him close. Gardener broke away from her just in time for Rex, Duncan and Michael Bennett to arrive. They immediately held him down. Looking at her stomach once more, Celeste saw that the blade was still in her stomach but the hilt was missing. She knew what type of knife this was. Every member of the Gardener family has one. Once left in the body, whenever someone would try to pull the blade out, it would retreat deeper into the body. She keeled over just as Levi caught her and reporters were swarming the scene.

"No. Celeste, stay awake! Stay awake, soldier." He yelled at her as Andrew called an ambulance. Petra tried to pull the blade out but instead, all she heard was her daughter's cry of pain.

"Don't. It would only retreat further into her body. Let a doctor handle this. We'll take her to the nearby hospital." Janine said.

"Get a stretcher over here!" They heard Andrea yell. Immediately, a stretcher was brought in and loaded Celeste in it while the cops arrested Gardener.

"I'll be okay, Celeste. Try to stay awake." Petra told her as she tightly held her hand.

"Get in the ambulance with her. We'll follow." Natalie told them. They both nodded and got in the ambulance.

"Celeste, stay awake. That's an order, soldier." Levi told her in a commanding tone. Unfortunately, it was an order she couldn't follow because eventually, everything went black.

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**AN: AAAH! Did you guys see that coming? Especially the ones with the Reincarnations? If you guys did, kudos to you then. If you didn't, I hope I surprised you guys. Anyways, here's what the number means:**

**1 – For those who don't know, a Grasshopper is an alcoholic drink. You guys can Wikipedia it if you want but if you watch The Big Bang Theory, you guys will know what a Grasshopper is.**

**And that is the 30****th**** Chapter of Link through Time and part 8 of I-have-no-fucking-idea-how-many of the Future Arc! I hope you guys enjoyed this. Thanks to those who reviewed to the previous chapters and will review!**


	32. Chapter 31: Blue Anomaly

**AN: WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I give you guys Chapter XXXI! I have just read an intense Rivetra smut before starting this so my nose is bleeding so much. Thanks to those who reviewed to the previous chapters. I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter!**

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**CHAPTER XXXI:**

**BLUE ANOMALY**

Petra held her daughter's hand as tight as she could. Judging from the amount of blood in the gauze, it was clear that Celeste was losing blood fast. Finally, they stopped and brought the stretcher out.

"You! You her father?" The doctor asked Levi and he nodded in reply.

"Hold the wound down. You aren't attempting to take it off so it shouldn't go deeper. Just try and stop the blood loss." The Doctor said. Levi immediately did so and they followed them up to the Operating room. They were told to stay outside. Almost immediately, Petra collapsed on a chair and started crying. Levi sat with her and wrapped an arm around her. He couldn't break now and think of the possibilities that can happen when the Doctor walks out that door. He had to be strong.

"How is she?" They heard someone ask. Looking up, he saw The Knights standing in front of them with worry etched on their faces.

"They took her in there just now but we're not so sure. She was losing a lot of blood earlier." Levi answered calmly.

"It'll probably take hours. Take the kids and your Aunt home, we'll stay." Damon told Duncan. He nodded and took the keys from him. After that, they waited. 4 hours later, the doctor came out.

"How is she?" Rex asked. The Doctor hesitated before answering.

"Well, it was a challenge to get the blade out but we did it and we stemmed the bleeding. But the blade was poisoned so we were forced to administer an antidote without your permission. If she throws blood out, it means it's working. I don't recommend that she race or do anything strenuous."

"Can we see her?" Petra asked as she wiped her tears away.

"Yes. She's already been moved to Room 445." The Doctor answered before walking away. They all made their way upstairs to the 4th floor. When they got to the room, Celeste was coughing before she grabbed the basin beside her and finally threw up blood.

"What's wrong with me?" She asked them as she cried. Rex immediately explained everything to her while Petra comforted her as she threw up.

"When's the next race?" Levi asked them.

"7 days from now in Las Vegas, Nevada. It should give her enough time to recover. The decision to race, however, is up to her." Damon answered.

"I'll race." She answered as she threw up yet again.

"Am I going to die?" Celeste asked Petra as she laid back down on her bed. She saw the flash of fear in her mother's eyes. It was the type of fear that she's been through once.

"What? No. That was just a side effect of the antidote." She answered. Celeste nodded before falling asleep, wondering just what it was that made her mother feel that fear. Eventually, the adults fell asleep beside Celeste as well.

The next day, Celeste was given the go signal to go home. They were worried because she wasn't talking much but the doctor assured them that she's most likely just in pain to talk.

'No shit, Sherlock.' Celeste thought to herself as they got in the car. Celeste was surprised that there aren't any reporters swarming the hospital.

"Okay, we're back." Rex announced. Levi helped Celeste out of the car immediately.

"Are you alright?" Petra asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." She answered apathetically as they entered the house. The kids, Aunt Natalie and Duncan were still asleep since it's still very early.

"I'm going to sleep. See you." Celeste said as she went upstairs. When she entered her room, however, her eyes widened. There was a Blue Anomaly.

'Weird. I just wondered what happened that made my mother feel scared again.' She thought to herself.

"Might as well check to see what it wants." She decided before walking up to enter the anomaly.

When Celeste got to the end of the anomaly, she was in the living room of their house in Karanese. Almost everyone was there; Armin, Eren, Mikasa, Hanji, Levi and even The Commander. The person that was missing was Petra.

"Where is she?" She asked herself. The answer she received was a loud and painful cry. Just then, someone came down.

"Captain, you can go see her now." A young woman said. Levi immediately stood up and ran upstairs with Celeste following him. They entered the bedroom and saw Petra sitting on the bed, holding a bundle in a pink blanket. Petra looked tired and her hair was glued to her forehead thanks to sweat.

'My birthday.' Celeste thought to herself. She realized that this was March 25,851.

"What's wrong her? She's barely breathing!" Levi yelled as he held baby Celeste. The older Celeste noticed that Petra had fallen asleep when Levi took the baby from her.

"Captain, we don't know if she'll last the night." The male doctor answered. Celeste couldn't believe it; she almost died when she was born? That's why her mother was so scared earlier? That's pretty big news to someone who's healthy as a horse.

"There must be something you can do." The Commander said.

"At this point, all we could do is hope for the best. I'm sorry." He answered before walking away. The Commander told everyone to give the new parents some alone time. The older Celeste sat beside her mother, who was starting to wake up.

"Levi, what should we name her?" Petra weakly asked. Levi sat beside her to show her their barely breathing daughter.

"I don't know. What do you want to name her?" He asked, trying to sound emotionless as possible but it was pretty obvious to the two people with him that he was scared.

"Celeste. It means 'heavenly' and she's our gift from heaven." Petra answered. The older Celeste chuckled in response; her mother still believed in a heaven even though that a cruel world like this would make it impossible to believe in one. She'd know because she and her father are having a hard time believing in one.

"Levi, why does is she barely breathing?" She worriedly asked. Levi handed the baby to her once more.

"The doctor said that she might not last the night." He bluntly said. Petra couldn't say anything and at that moment, the older Celeste saw it; that same flash of fear that her mother had the night before. She held the baby close to her and held her tiny hands in her own.

"She'll live. She is her father's daughter after all." Petra said optimistically with a small smile but the fear was still in her eyes. Levi took the sleeping child from her again.

"Hey, you better last the night, Celeste. We don't die that easily." He gently chided the sleeping baby. Petra chuckled weakly before kissing the baby's forehead. The older Celeste touched that same spot when she felt it. It was the spot where the scar from her training was.

"I'm tired. I'm going to sleep for a while." She said before closing her eyes. Levi gently set her on the bed before taking the baby in his arms once more and taking her outside. The older Celeste touched Petra's forehead and brushed away the hair stuck to her forehead.

"You'll be fine. You both will." She muttered before leaving the room. Walking downstairs, she saw the scene Armin told her before.

"This is my daughter, Celeste." Levi announced with tears in his eyes despite the wide smile on his face. The older Celeste realized that Armin basically half-lied to her. Her dad didn't take her immediately from…whoever the hell assisted in the birthing. He and her mother named her first and endured the fact that she could die before showing her off to the others.

"I should've known he was telling me a cockamamie bull story. Sly little bishounen." She muttered to herself, promising that she'll make that Hideyoshi look-a-like pay. Okay, maybe not exactly a Hideyoshi look-a-like. Armin still has some masculine features unlike the famed Baka and Test character. At least, Armin didn't look like Pico from Boku no Pico. That was one anime she'd like to erase from her brain. And existence. She'd be doing the world a favour if she did that. But anyways, one of the things Celeste hates the most was people lying to her. Suddenly, she felt something poking her cheeks. Looking up, the older Celeste saw that Mikasa was poking her baby version's chubby cheeks while Hanji was making faces at her and Eren gently held her in his arms as if he was afraid of breaking her.

'He and Mikasa would make great parents someday.' She thought to herself. Again, she felt the poking sensation.

'Damn it, Mikasa! You're not supposed to poke a baby's cheek!' The older Celeste yelled mentally. She approached her baby version and put her hand on her forehead. All of a sudden, a black anomaly opened up.

"Guess I found my answers." She muttered as she went in.

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**AN: And that is Chapter XXXI! Did you guys like the Baka and Test and Boku no Pico references? I hope you guys did! I LOVE Baka and Test and Hideyoshi is my most favourite character. As of Boku no Pico, however, I tried to watch it but I was like "FUCK NO" almost immediately. No offense to Boku no Pico fans, though. I just don't like it and I wish that I can erase it from my brain. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this Chapter and Thanks to those who will review, favourite or follow this story!**


	33. Chapter 32: Viva Las Vegas

**AN: HERE IS CHAPTER XXXII! Anyways, I'm just going to give you guys a heads up in case I don't update for a couple of days, weeks or months. See, my mom is picking up my Report Card this Monday and I might have a failing grade or two so in that case, I might get grounded and I might not be able to update. Bad news aside, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Thanks to those who reviewed, favourited and followed!**

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**CHAPTER XXXII:**

**VIVA LAS VEGAS**

2 days after the assassination attempt on Celeste, they were already packing up to go to Nevada for the 3 stop race. Unfortunately, they had a problem; Celeste didn't have a hover cycle which, as they were told, was a requirement to participate. Usually, it was a normal motorcycle but apparently, the Nevada Track was modified for hover cycles this year. Damon assured Celeste that she would have her hover cycle when they got there. Levi and Petra weren't pleased when she said she would be participating but nevertheless, they didn't attempt to change her mind. Now, Celeste was in her car with her parents and Duncan this time.

"So, where are we going?" Petra asked curiously.

"Las Vegas, Nevada. That's 4 hours and 4 minutes from her. Say good bye to the ocean and say hello to the desert." Celeste answered as she pulled out of the driveway and followed the two cars in front of her.

"Okay, ground rules; under any circumstances, when we get to Vegas, DO NOT leave the house. At least, not without me." She instructed them. "Vegas ain't the most popular Sin City for nothing."

"Got it." Petra answered as she and Levi looked out the window to see the setting sun and the ocean one last time.

"I'm serious. The place is, like, the underground of Wall Sina of this time." Celeste said as she drove.

"Remember what happened when you were 14 and people let you in a casino because they were thrilled to have Cassandra Knight." Duncan said.

"Yes. I do. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, remember." She said through gritted teeth. That piqued Levi's curiosity.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Celeste got drunk."

"WHAT? AT 14?" Petra asked, half angry, half surprised.

"Oh! See what you did? Relax, I've been drinking since I was 12 but that was the first time I got drunk. And I'd rather you don't bring that up." Celeste said.

"So, you got roaring drunk, what's your point?" He replied.

"I don't think a 14 year old is supposed to get drunk so bad that she'd start a bar fight with a 25 year old guy." She answered.

"You started a bar fight?" Petra asked, surprised. Her daughter was so much like Levi. Hell, if she grew up in their time, she probably would've been a thug as well.

"Yes. Yes, I did." She admitted while she drove. Duncan lifted her shirt up and showed them a long scar on the right side of her back. They've never seen it before so they were surprised.

"DUNCAN, WHAT THE HELL?" Celeste yelled at him.

"You mean you've never showed them that?"

"No! I got glassed in the fight, alright." Celeste finally admitted. "Wasn't one of my proudest moments, I admit. I may have been a delinquent during my career back then. So much for 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas'."

With that said, the three of them finally let it go. The drive the whole time was silent. Aside from the time that she and Duncan threw potato chips at each other. After 4 hours, they finally arrived in Vegas.

"Yo, Celeste, want to hit the casino?" Rex asked the through the Walkie Talkie. She immediately picked it up.

"Forget it. I don't want a repeat of 5 years ago." She answered. "Plus I really don't want to gamble."

With that, she hung up. Since it was 7 PM, Petra was amazed by the bright lights of the city. After a while, they got to the headquarters of Knight Industries in Vegas. They have a huge penthouse suite in the top floor that serves as their Vegas home. In all 50 states where they have a place to stay, 15 of those are penthouse suites. When they got to the suite, the kids immediately rushed in and lied on the couch to go on Virtual Reality.

"Try not to fry your brains while playing." Celeste warned them but too late; they already dived in. Shaking her head, she put her parents' things in the guest room.

"Maybe I should dive in with them. Or hit the gym. Eh, what's it matter; I can't do abdominal crunches anyways." She muttered to herself.

"Celeste, want to go get your hover cycle?" Uncle Damon asked.

"Alright! Sure! I'll be right out!" She answered before walking out of the room. When she got to living room after putting her stuff in her room, the adults were watching the news. It was about Gardener being given a lifetime ban from racing and their arrival in Vegas.

"News again? I don't see why you guys watch that crap." She said as she poured herself some scotch from the bar.

"Well, we have to keep ourselves informed and…OH MY GOD! YOU'RE DRINKING ALREADY? IT'S 7:30!" Aunt Natalie yelled.

"PM. Not AM. Scold me when I do this in the morning." She countered as she drank her Scotch.

"Okay, let's go. I have a feeling you'd love this hover cycle I ordered for you." Damon said as he grabbed her and took the glass form her before pushing her out the door. They headed downstairs to the parking lot of the building.

"Uncle, what are we doing here?" She asked.

"We are here so you can see this." He answered as he pulled the tarpaulin covered object. It was a sleek black hover cycle made by Knight Industries. Her eyes widened and her face lit up like a kid on Christmas before running towards it.

"AWESOME! This is what I'll be using?" She asked in amazement.

"Yep. It has lasers, missiles and a sweet machine gun." Damon answered as he showed her each feature. Though impressed, Celeste raised an eyebrow; why would she need weapons? It was a 3 stop race, not a death race.

"Okay, why?" She asked.

"The rules of 3 stop has changed for the past 4 years you were gone. You can now take racers out when necessary." Damon answered.

"Seriously? Damn. Things have really changed when I was gone, wasn't I?"

"It has. Take it out for a spin in the strip tomorrow if you want." He said as he handed her the keys.

"Sure. I'll do that before heading to the gym." She answered as she took the keys.

"No crunches, alright." He warned her as they headed back upstairs.

"Sure.

When they got upstairs, Petra and Natalie were making dinner while Rex and Duncan were playing video games and Levi was looking out the balcony. Celeste wasted no time in making a racket with the boys. And by racket, it means playing Rock Band in full volume. That resulted in Celeste getting hit in the head with her own drumsticks because she ignored her mother.

"What?" She asked as Rex paused their game.

"There's a package for you and dinner's ready. Go wake the kids up." Petra ordered her.

"Damn it. Can it wait? Both dinner and the package?" She requested.

"Go get your damn package, Celeste and last time, we allowed you not to have dinner with us, you never ate." Aunt Natalie said. Groaning, she walked up to the door and opened it. A mailman was there.

"Package for Cassandra Knight." He stated as he held out both the package and the clipboard.

"I can see that." She muttered as she signed for the package and took it before closing the door. Walking up to the coffee table, she put the package down as the kids took their VR helmets off.

"What's that?" Andrea asked.

"Not a bomb that's for sure." She answered.

"Did you check the return address?" Duncan asked as he sat beside her. Celeste grabbed it and checked the return address as everyone gathered around her.

"Oh, it's from the chief of the Las Vegas Police Department." She said. Opening it, her eyes widened.

"Whoa, Viva Las Vegas." Celeste said as she pulled out a shiny Colt Python from the box. There was also a case of ammo in it.

"There's a letter." Petra said. Celeste picked it up and opened it.

_Dear Cassandra,_

_ I heard about what happened in California. I remember that rape-murder case you helped us out with when you were 13 and it hit me that we didn't get you anything as thanks so for your protection and to show our gratitude, the LVPD gives you this. Just remember to use it ONLY for self-defence. I'd hate to arrest you or hear about it someday. Also, I heard about you finding your real parents. Good for you. Good luck on your next race and keep it up. We'll be rooting for you._

_Sincerely,_

_William Rogers, Chief of the Las Vegas Police Department_

When Celeste was finished reading it, Petra and Levi were looking expectantly at her.

"I'll tell you guys later. I'm starving." She said. That was a teenage moment she'd rather not delve back in to so she'd try to avoid it as long as possible. Dinner was a quiet affair except for the time that Andrew and Andrea had a petty argument because apparently, Andrea left him to die in game. It was an argument that Celeste diffused immediately with her award winning glare. Now, Celeste was putting the kids to bed. As usual, they shared the same room because Janine doesn't sleep well without Andrew and Andrea or anyone she's familiar with.

"Traitor." Andrew told Andrea as Celeste put Janine to bed. Kid was tuckered out almost immediately.

"Hey, that's enough out of you two." She scolded them as she put Andrew to bed. She noticed that Andrea had a sad look on her face. She then realized something.

"This isn't about the game is it? When has this started? You guys are a pair of 13 year old twins, so I'm guessing this happened shortly after I left the first time. So what's wrong?" She asked them. Andrew and Andrea were born on an April. April 5 to be exact. And that was tomorrow.

"It started when we were 12. Mom's death anniversary and our birthdays are tomorrow. Whenever it's our birthday, we get cranky." Andrew admitted.

"Because of your mother?" She asked and they nodded.

"Dad's always gone when it's our birthdays ever since we turned 12 and everyone's trying to sugarcoat it by not reminding us that mom died when we were born. I think Dad blames us for mom's death." Andrea said.

"Hey, hey, that's not true. Your dad is…he's just…trying his best to provide for this family. I'm sure he'll make up for it. Go to sleep. Don't worry about it. Just remember; your dad loves you both. So did your mom. I know. I watched her carry the two of you for 9 months." Celeste told them as she pulled the covers on top of them. She knew they doubted her. She pulled her wallet out and pulled a photo.

"Here. I took this the moment your mother was well enough to hold you both. Andrew, I want you to make a copy of it and give it to your sister. It's the only photo of the three of you. You both didn't kill your mother; her fever did. Her body was too frail to keep up with the strain and she got a fever. That's what killed her, not you." She said before kissing their foreheads.

"You look a lot like her, Andrea. Good night." She said as she turned the lights off and left the room. The adults were watching TV in the living room.

"How are they?" Duncan asked. Celeste responded with grabbing the phone and dialling Uncle Federico's hotel number in Italy. It should be Morning (1) there so he should be up. An Italian woman picked up the phone and thankfully, Celeste is fluent in Italian.

"Ciao, sono alla ricerca di Federico Knight. E 'ancora li? Si prega di dirgli che e sua nipote, Cassandra Knight (2)." She requested. The woman on the other line responded positively and said that she'd connect her to him.

"Certo, grazie (3)." She responded. Placing the phone to her chest, she smiled at her mother, who looked at her in amazement.

"It's Italian." She said before pressing the phone back to her ear.

"Hello, Uncle Federico. Yeah. Yeah. Yes, I'm aware it's very early in the morning where you are. You are aware it's your twin children's birthday tomorrow right?" She asked.

"Yes, Celeste, I am aware of that."

"So…you think you can pop by tomorrow and surprise them? They're really down. I mean who wouldn't be? They share their birthday on their mom's death anniversary. But it would mean a lot to them if you were here." She said. Uncle Federico sighed before answering.

"I'll try. No promises."

"Uh-huh. Alright. Bye." She replied before hanging up.

"Does that answer your question?" Celeste told Duncan before walking up to the bar and grabbing a glass of scotch. Eventually, almost everyone turned in except for Levi and Petra. They approached Celeste who was drinking Scotch as she leaned on the balcony.

"Alright, spill." Petra said.

"Spill? This is a good 150 year old scotch. Expensive too." Celeste replied as she drank.

"Not your booze, Celeste. The rape-murder case." Levi said bluntly.

"That's classified information, Dad. It's a depth I'd rather not delve back into." She answered as she refilled her drink.

"Screw classified information. Tell us." He said. Since they weren't going to let it go, she gave up easily. They all leaned on the balcony while Celeste told the story.

"Fine. There's a reason why I train so hard. This happened when I was 13. I was jogging the strip late at night. I get to one turn. I keep running, I turn into an alleyway, I saw a man. It seemed like he just finished raping someone. After that, he pulls his gun out and shoots at someone while I stood there and called 911 because I was too scared to act on my own. When he was gone, I ran up to the scene and saw a woman, lying in a pool of her own blood. Violated in every way possible. I tried to revive her but I was too late. Too weak. LVPD took me home and the next day, I decided that I had to help them. So I did. Anything to make up for being unable to save her. That woman had a mother, a little sister and a 4 year old daughter. They depended on her to keep them alive because her husband was dead and her boyfriend just takes her away from them all because she didn't want to do it with him. I was a witness who testified against him. I helped in every way I could to ensure that he wouldn't get out of jail. I resorted to digging up everything I could on the guy and I hit a gold mine. He had 5 counts of abuse against women. 3 of them died. He was just too good to get away with murder but when I witnessed everything, I took that skill away from him. The same way he took that woman away from her family. I hate a lot of things in life; spiders, roaches, losing races, people who tease me for being adopted but the things that trump that list are rapists and cheaters. I never met the family; I was too ashamed to talk to them. How was I going to face them and tell them I saw their loved one die before my very eyes and I did nothing to stop it?"

After that, she drank her scotch while Petra wrapped an arm around her and kissed her cheek. She knew that no amount of words would comfort Celeste on the horror that she witnessed.

"Go to bed, Celeste. Don't stay up too late drinking." Levi said as he kissed her good night before walking back inside.

"Good Night." Petra said before following him. Celeste drank the last of her scotch before looking at the lights of Las Vegas one last time.

"Viva Las Vegas." She muttered before heading inside.

* * *

**AN: Aaand that is Chapter XXXII! Now here is the meaning of the numbers;**

**1 – I have no idea how big the time zone difference is between America and Italy.**

**2 – Translation: Hello, I am looking for Federico Knight. Is he still there? Please tell him that his niece, Cassandra Knight.**

**3 – Translation: Sure, thank you.**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Thanks to those who will review, favourite and follow!**


	34. Chapter 33: Birthday Reunion

**AN: Aand here is Chapter XXXIII! And YES! I am not grounded! I hope you guys enjoyed the previous chapter and Thanks to those who reviewed, favourited and followed this story. They are very much appreciated and they keep me going. I love you all. And now without further ado, I give you guys the new Chapter of Link through Time.**

* * *

**CHAPTER XXXIII:**

**BIRTHDAY REUNION**

Celeste woke up very early the next morning. So early that it was still dark out. That's a new record for her. Looking at her bedside clock, she saw that it was just 5 AM. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, she got up, took a quick shower and changed into her exercise gear. Grabbing her jacket, she walked out of her room as she wore it and zipped it up before grabbing her hover cycle keys. No one was awake yet. Celeste opened the kids' room and saw that Andrea was half off her bed. She put her back properly on her bed before leaving the room. She checked the guest room and saw that her parents were sound asleep and wrapped around each others' arms.

'And decently dressed. Thank God.' She thought to herself as she left the room. Celeste left a not by the bar.

_Went to the Track Gym. Be back later._

With that, Celeste left the penthouse and walked up to the parking lot. She hopped on the hover cycle and stuck the key in and activated it before going on her way.

"YAHOO!" Celeste yelled in joy as she sped off to the outskirts of Las Vegas, where the Nevada track was. She parked at where she can park her hover cycle and headed inside with a bag containing a change of clothes. As expected, a couple of racing participants were working out as well. Putting her stuff in a locker, she walked up to a treadmill with her headphones on her ears and plugged to her phone and started running while listening to music. Celeste can clearly feel the eyes of the men ogling her. No shit, all she was wearing now as a black sports bra, track pants and sneakers. They can clearly see the scars and the 3DMG belt marks on her body. After 15 minutes on the treadmill, she walked over the Elliptical and hopped on.

"You sure that's a good idea?" A feminine voice asked. Celeste basically froze; she knows that voice. She slowly turned around and saw Hannah Monroe, Hanji's reincarnation.

'Fuck.' She thought to herself. She prayed that Hannah isn't as crazy as her past self.

"Not really." Celeste answered as Hannah used the Elliptical next to hers.

"So…where's your sister?" She asked curiously.

"Meh, at the Bennett's with her fiancée." Hannah answered.

"Ah, cuddling with the fiancée, eh? I can clearly see that you don't want to let her go." Celeste said as she went faster on the Elliptical.

"Yeah, but what are you going to do? Our little siblings are born, we try to protect them from every single ugly thing in the world and pretty soon, we'll have to give them off to someone else." Hannah said as Celeste got off her Elliptical and drank some water.

"I get how you feel. I cringe each time I hear my female cousins say they like someone." She answered as she did some knuckle ups.

"Mmm…I have to say, Knight; you have quite the figure." Hannah said. Celeste immediately sat up. Was she supposed to take that as a come on? Grabbing her towel, she drank some water while she looked down on her body. She didn't have a body builder's figure but she does have a 4 pack. While her military training really kicked her in to shape, she has a long way to go before she catches up to her dad's Abs. Or Mikasa's Legendary Abs. On the right side of her stomach, her stab wound scar was there, closed and reinforced with ice. Celeste felt her phone ringing.

"Yeah?"

"Yo, we pre-ordered a cake for Andrew and Andrea. Mind picking it up?" Rex requested.

"Sure. Don't blame me if it falls off my hover cycle." She said before hanging up.

"I have to go. Nice talking to you." Celeste told Hannah as she walked away.

"Nice talking to you too!" Hannah yelled after her. As Celeste walked up to the locker room, she noticed that women and men were clamouring outside looking for her. She gave them all a wink before heading inside. All of a sudden, she heard the girls yelling. She immediately took a shower. It was 7 in the morning so that bakery should be open by now. It took her an hour to get to the tracks and back. Once she was done and out of the locker room, fully clothed, women and men who were outside walked up to her, begging her for her autograph, which she granted.

'Weird. This always happens when I'm fresh out the shower.' She thought to herself as she walked out of the tracks. 'I guess guys and chicks dig the wet look. Even if it's a girl.'

Hopping on the hover cycle, she immediately went to the bakery. Within 30 minutes, she got it back to the building safe and sound. Now, she was taking it inside where everyone was preparing.

"You guys should've seen the gym. Guys AND girls were ogling me." She said as she set the cake on the table.

"They were doing what now?" Aunt Natalie asked.

"They were ogling me." She bluntly repeated.

"What the hell were you wearing?" Rex asked as he came in.

"A black sports bra…and track pants." She answered honestly.

"What did you do this time, Celeste?" Levi asked as he came in.

"Apparently your daughter worked out wearing only a bra and a bunch of perverted men AND most likely bisexual women kept staring at her." Uncle Damon answered, having overheard the conversation.

"Thanks for adding fuel to the fire, Uncle." Celeste said in annoyance as she made herself a cup of coffee. Levi's eyes narrowed towards her as he drank his coffee.

"Mikasa does it, why can't I?" She asked in defence.

"I don't care what Ackerman does. That's her business and Jaeger's problem but no daughter of mine is working out without a shirt." He bluntly said before walking out to the balcony.

"That's cute." Duncan said.

"How the fuck is that cute?"

"Your dad is pretty blunt, emotionally detached guy, Celeste. Seeing him become overprotective of his only daughter is kind of cute." Aunt Natalie supplied as an answer. Just then, Petra came out of her room, freshly showered wearing a change of clothes.

"Morning, Mom." She greeted.

"Good Morning, sweetie." Petra replied as she kissed her daughter's cheek. "What were you guys talking about?"

"Just how my status as 'Humanity's 3rd Strongest' is pretty much powerless when dad's scolding me about something." Celeste replied while her mother was clinging to her waist like a koala.

"Oh, what did you do this time?" She asked.

"Celeste worked out in the gym, wearing only a bra and men were looking at her the whole time. Her dad scolded her." Duncan tattled as he was carrying Janine to the couch.

"Frigging traitor." She snapped at him as Petra unlatched from her to make her own coffee.

"Try to understand, Celeste. Your dad's just looking out for you." Petra said as she patted Celeste's head.

"I'm 19, not a 10 year old." She answered.

"I just cannot win with you, can I?" She asked in annoyance. Petra noticed that no matter what defence she'd use for Levi against the reasons of Celeste's annoyance with him, she'd always find a way to bypass that argument.

"I ain't a champion racer for nothing."

"Hey, bring out the cake and light it up. I'll go wake them up." Rex told Celeste. She immediately took the large Chocolate cake out of the box and put 14 candles in it and lit it up.

"What's going on?" Petra asked curiously.

"We're surprising Andrew and Andrea for their birthday. They're pretty down because Uncle Federico ain't around and their mom died the same day they were born so yeah, we're trying to distract them from all that." Celeste answered while she helped Duncan put up the 'Happy Birthday' banner. Just then, Andrea and Andrew walked in with Rex while they were in blindfolds as Uncle Damon came out with platters of breakfast food and set it down on the table. Rex took the blindfolds off of their eyes.

"SURPRISE!" They yelled.

"Whoa! What is this?" Andrea asked in amazement.

"Happy Birthday." Rex said as he hugged his younger siblings.

"Come on, let's have some breakfast, then we're all going somewhere." Natalie said. When they were all eating and talking, someone knocked on the door.

"Were you guys expecting someone so early?" Celeste asked but they all shook their heads. Grasping the handle of her colt python, she pointed it to the door before cautiously opening it.

"Uncle Federico?"

"Yeah. It's me." He said with a jovial smile. Celeste let him in after hiding her gun yet again. Federico engulfed her in a hug immediately.

"Welcome home. I'm sure the kids would be happy to see you." She said as they walked to the kitchen.

"Andrew, Andrea, there's someone here for you." She announced as she walked in. They stood up in surprise upon seeing their father and ran up to him for a hug.

"Happy Birthday. I wouldn't have come home if it wasn't for Celeste. I hope you both forgive me."

Celeste sat beside her mother at the table while she brofisted with Rex and Duncan. The day went on fast; her parents finally got to meet Uncle Federico, they took the kids to the huge Arcade joint in one of the Casinos. Celeste taught Petra and Levi how to play video games with her. It was obvious that they had fun shooting stuff up even though her dad didn't really show it. Now, they were on the way home after having dinner. As they walked back to the car, Levi handed Petra something.

"Here." He said as he held out a stuffed bunny to his wife. His face was turned away from her and Celeste was having a field day. Her dad was trying to give her mother a toy and he was shy about it. Or embarrassed. It was so fucking hard to say which is which with her dad.

"I won this with Celeste earlier." Levi said. Celeste was leaning on the car as if she was watching a cheesy movie in front of her, trying to hold her laughter in. It was just too priceless; imagine it. Humanity's strongest soldier. The man who never quaked or shook in fear in front of the Titans now looked away in embarrassment as he tried to give his wife a stuffed toy.

"Oh, I-Thank you, Captain." Petra said. Celeste almost lost it as she walked up to the driver's side. Her mother only called her father 'Captain' off duty when she was nervous or embarrassed. She watched her mother kiss her father's cheek before getting on the car. Her dad was riding shotgun and she gave him a sly look before starting the car and driving away.

"We're proud of you, Celeste." Petra said.

"For what?" She asked as they drove.

"You brought your Uncle and cousins together again on their birthday. Knowing our daughter did that makes us proud of you." She answered. This time, it was her turn to be embarrassed. Heat rose up to her cheeks as she kept on driving.

'If this is some sort of karma, I curse whatever God is out there.' She thought to herself.

"Sure. Whatever." Celeste answered.

* * *

**AN: And that is Chapter XXXIII of Link through Time. I watched the last episode of Shingeki no Kyojin yesterday and I am BEGGING and hoping for a Season 2. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this and Thanks to those who will review, favourite or follow!**


	35. Chapter 34: Conspiracies and A New Race

**AN:WEEEEE! HERE IS CHAPTER XXXIV! 3 STOP RACING CHAPTER! I hope you guys enjoyed Chapter XXXIII. If not, then I hope you'll enjoy this one more. Thanks to those who reviewed, favourited and followed. And now, I give you guys Chapter XXXIV of Link through Time.**

**CHAPTER XXXIV:**

**CONSPIRACIES AND A NEW RACE**

The next day, Celeste woke up when she heard someone banging on the door. Checking her bedside clock, she saw that it was only 5:30 AM. She tiredly walked out of her room and up to the front door while the adults were getting up.

"Who is it? Why are you here at this ungodly hour?" She yelled at the door.

"LVPD."

LVPD? What the fuck are they doing here? She opened the door immediately and saw that it was the Chief of the LVPD.

"Chief Rogers?" She asked.

"Hello, Cassandra. May I come in?" He asked. Honestly, she just wanted to slam the door in his face and crawl back into bed but since she was a polite girl because she was raised as such, she let him in.

"Chief Rogers, what makes stop by?" Uncle Federico asked as they sat down on the couch. Celeste immediately leaned her head on Petra's shoulder.

"Good question, Mr. Knight. I was doing overtime at the station today sifting through old files, when I found this." He said as he plopped a folder in the table. Celeste felt like cold water was dumped on her; that was her adoptive parents' case file.

"Mom and Dad's case file?"

"Yep. The Original One."

"W-why are you showing us this? Mom and Dad's deaths were ruled out as accidents." Celeste said. This was another depth she didn't want to dive back into. Deep down inside her, she had a feeling that her adoptive parents' deaths weren't really a simple car crash.

"Where did your parents die, Cassandra?" Chief Rogers asked her.

"Outside Las Vegas! Why are you asking me this? It's common knowledge! The whole world knows about it!" She yelled. The situation was really ticking her off.

"Stand down, soldier." Levi snapped at her while Petra rubbed her back to comfort her.

"Cassandra, calm down. I'm showing you this because we found out that the file served in court was a fake. Someone broke in the file room 4 years back and replaced it with a final word that ruled it as an accident and planted doctored photos in it. Your parents were murdered. The crash was set up." The Chief admitted.

"Wha-what? Photoshop? That's what kept this information for 4 years?" She asked in anger. Again, Petra did her best to comfort her.

"Whoa, you are way more temperamental than when I last saw you."

"H-how did they die?" Aunt Natalie asked.

"Apparently, the local drug cartel did. The Blue Tigers." He answered.

"The Blue Tigers? Didn't dad aid you in taking them down? But someone screwed up with prosecution and the jury voted the boss not guilty, so he fucking walked? Then days later, I hear in the news that my parents have been burned to a fucking crisp." She said. Not only was Raphael Knight a champion racer, he was also an accomplished lawyer. The Blue Tigers' sponsors was said to be The Gardeners. Rumor had it, The Gardeners would pay off The Blue Tigers to take out racers in perk, death and brawl races. Usually through drug use. Celeste was never taken out by a Tiger. Their front was a fancy restaurant. While there was enough evidence to expose the Tigers of Illegal drug possession, there was never enough evidence to tie them down to The Gardeners. Unfortunately, 4 years ago, someone goofed up prosecution so the Tiger boss walked. Days after that, Clara and Raphael Knight died.

"How do you know all this?" Celeste asked him, she was deadly calm this time.

"Aside from the new evidence we found, a rat within the Tigers told me this." Rogers said.

"A rat in the house. Joy. So what do you want from me?"

"Be the bait." He bluntly said.

"Bait?" Celeste repeated. After being trained for the Scouting Legion for 3 years, another year of going in and out of the Walls on 2 Expeditions and 3 breaches, being bait is something she is pretty good at.

"The rat tells us that a Blue Tiger would be riding under a Gardener car. The Gardener boy maybe be banned but their company is not. While the race is happening, we'll raid his place to find illegal drugs. Once we do that and the race is over, we arrest him and interrogate him. Get him to talk."

"I'll get him to sing. You got yourself a deal but like before on the rape-murder case, you let me arrest him as well as Gardener if we finally tie him to the Blue Tigers as well as my parents' murder." Celeste demanded.

"Of course. Pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Knight." Chief Rogers said as he shook hands with Celeste.

"I'll show you to the door." Uncle Damon said as he stood up. Celeste took the case file with her back to her room. She wasn't really paying attention to the other details. All she was looking at was the pictures of the wreck and her parents' charred bodies. Now that she looked at it; Celeste thought of how agonizing it must've been for them. Getting charred to a crisp while waiting for death. She realized that should she get eaten by a Titan, she would be grateful. At least, it would be quick and painless.

'It almost feels like there's a conspiracy.' She thought to herself. 'Or maybe there is.'

Someone knocked on the door all of a sudden.

"It's Open!" She yelled. In walked Petra with a worried look on her face, dragging Levi behind her.

"You okay?" Petra asked as they sat on her bed.

"No. I feel like there's a fucking conspiracy around me." She admitted as she put the photos down. Levi picked it up and they examined it. Shit. No wonder Celeste was very frustrated and didn't want to be reminded of her adoptive parents' deaths. This was too disturbing for a 15 year old back then and it most likely is disturbing for a 19 year old.

"You're angry, aren't you?" Petra asked her. Celeste gave her a look that told them that they're about to receive a wise ass answer.

"I almost died thanks to a poisoned blade, I found out that I've been lied to by one of my friends and to top it all off, I find out that my adoptive parents may have been murdered by people from a drug cartel who was supposed to be locked away, what does that tell you? For clearance, yes! I am angry." She answered. She saw the flash of recognition in Petra's eyes but at the same time, she saw fear. Almost as if she was afraid she was going to hate her.

"Wh-who lied to you?" She asked but her voice squeaked. Celeste knew her mother does a piss poor job at lying. If her eyes won't give it away, her voice will.

"You should know; you set Armin up to it. When Dad and I weren't getting along, you were so desperate to fix things that you took things in your own hands and you had him lie to me; how dad took me from the midwives immediately to show me off. But that wasn't what happened was it? Dad had to deal with the fact that I might not last the night then, you both named me."

"How do you know all this?" Levi asked her. Celeste didn't need to know how she almost died.

"A little blue birdie told me." Celeste answered, knowing they'd get what she meant.

"An Anomaly? You went through an anomaly? When?" Levi asked.

"Days back. Before we left Santa Monica." She answered. This was getting out of hand; she was very emotionally compromised. Just then, Uncle Damon barged in and stuck something in her neck. It didn't take long before she felt drowsy.

"What did you do?" Petra asked as she caught Celeste in her arms. Looking down, they saw that she was knocked out cold.

"I tranquilized her like before." Uncle Damon said. Petra and Levi laid Celeste in her bed and let her sleep before they left the room.

"When my brother and his wife died, Celeste took it hard. But she didn't release everything through crying like we expected her to do so. She released it through her anger. As a result, I had to tranquilize her often to calm her down otherwise she had tantrums that doctors ruled out would bring danger to herself and others. Give her time. When the race happens, she'll be back in no time. You'll see." He explained to them. After that, they all returned to their rooms to catch up on some sleep.

Days later, the 3 stop race was about to occur and Celeste was indeed back to normal. They headed to the Nevada tracks and headed for Celeste's locker room so she can get ready.

"Now are you sure you're alright?" Petra asked Celeste for what must be the 50th time that day.

"Mom, please; for the last time, yes." She answered as she took her shirt off. Thank God, the men were off getting food, otherwise Levi would've flaked Celeste's skin already for the tattoos. Putting on a fresh black shirt, the boys entered the room with the racing official from Santa Monica.

"Stalk much, Winchester?" She mockingly asked him. He chuckled before putting on a straight face.

"No. I'm here to explain the tracks to you." David answered as he turned a holomap on. Celeste's phone rang and she picked it up.

"Moshi moshi." She answered lazily.

"What language is that now? Scratch that; don't tell me. Our men are outside the Tiger's house. They're about to start the raid. You know the drill after that. My deputy will be there." He explained.

"Yeah, got it. Thanks." She said before hanging up.

"You done?" Winchester asked and she shrugged as she put her jacket on. The holomap showed the Nevada tracks. The track is the shortest but most dangerous in America. Once the race starts, you'd have to go through a stretch, then the Vortex. After that is another stretch but that also has a service road. After that stretch is the jump jacks then the Upward road and then Desert road. The service road exits at the Desert road which in turn leads to the starting point. What puzzles Celeste is that there's no stop zone to switch vehicles in.

"Beware of the service road. If possible, do NOT go through it." He explained.

"Why?" Petra asked curiously.

"Way back when my other dad was still racing, there was incident in these tracks. Someone rigged the service road with toxic canisters that killed a bunch of racers when people were still using it. Luckily, my dad thought that service roads are for bitchy limp noodles so he avoids it. Point is when they tried to take the remaining toxic canisters off; they can't take off an entire row in the middle of the road. So they basically had to seal it off." Celeste explained to them. After that, Winchester blabbed on and on about how the race will go and when he was done, Celeste raised her hand.

"Where are the pit stops?" She asked.

"There are no pit stops. You stop at each lap." He answered.

"You're kidding me, right? That's-that's not 3 stop racing anymore…that's-that's-that's fucking Switch racing. That's not the races I grew accustomed to!" Celeste complained. Winchester shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Well suck it up, Knight. Times change and so do racing rules and how they go. Good luck."

With that, he left.

"I don't believe this." Celeste said as she sat down. Petra patted her head and grabbed her shoulders from behind to comfort her. Just then, the bells rang.

"Get." Uncle Damon ordered the boys. Uncle Federico, Aunt Natalie and the kids left the room.

"Take care, alright." Levi told her. Celeste embraced him and Petra.

"Bitch, I'm humanity's 3rd strongest." She said with a wide smile before they left the room and went their separate ways. Walking to the race zone, Celeste donned her helmet and got on her car.

"Remember; avoid the service roads. And…keep an eye out on the Gardener car, alright." Uncle Damon told her. She responded with a thumbs up. Looking to her left, the Gardener driver was male. When they left, she immediately sat in her cockpit.

"Start your engines." The commentator announced. After the count of three, they all moved. Celeste was in first place, with Bennett and Monroe slugging it out for second. The Gardener car was behind them.

"Celeste, the Vortex is ahead. Speed up." Uncle Damon told her via the radio.

"With pleasure." She answered as she entered the area. It was like a freaking roller coaster whenever she enters this. She kept going until she got out of the spiral and onto the next stretch. She was bumping with Monroe and when she gave a hard enough hit, Monroe was bumped to 4th and she entered the Jump jacks. It was still pretty scary for her because at each jump, she'd have to make a turn.

"OH FUCK!" She yelled in fear as she got out of the Jump Jacks area.

"Celeste, the Gardener car is beside you. He'll probably try to push you to the service road." Damon warned her.

"I'm ready." She answered. Just as he was about to ram her, she gunned it and entered the Upward road. When she got off of it, she went to the Desert road and turned on the GPS. Unfortunately, it still sounds like an Indian man.

"Didn't I tell you guys to fix GP?" She asked them but all she heard was Rex and Duncan's laughter.

"Jackasses." She muttered. Then she stopped at the starting line and hopped on her hover cycle.

"Damn switch racing." She muttered to herself.

"Change is constant, Celeste. You'll have to accept it sooner or later." Damon said via the radio. She went through the same obstacles. When she got out of the vortex once again, shit hit the fan when she was near the service road.

"Celeste, the Gardener is shooting at you!" Damon yelled but he was too late. A bullet pierced her shoulder, which made her yell in pain and it forced her into the service road.

"Cassandra Knight is at the service road!" A commentator announced. Celeste was going too fast and wasn't able to press the brakes in time. The consequence of that was that Celeste hit a toxic canister, which set off the remaining toxic canisters. Nevertheless, Celeste kept going. She could feel the toxins going inside her helmet and forcing her to inhale it. She took off the helmet and through it aside, using her spare wire.

"Forfeit now, Celeste. The toxin will kill you in 20 minutes." Uncle Damon yelled at her.

"No. I'm going to play through the pain. I can do this. I just have to make quick work of it." She answered before hacking out blood. Once she was at the starting point yet again, she hopped off and got on her car once more. Every now and then, she'd hack out blood as she zipped through the race. Now that the Toxic canisters were out of the way, she kept using it to her advantage. Celeste was the type of racer who'd use every shortcut in the book to be first. Something that her dad never approved of. She kept going through the race; coughing out blood every now and then while trying to maintain her position of first.

"Celeste, you have 3 minutes left and another stretch to go through. Forfeit now, please." Damon requested.

"I didn't go this far to forfeit now." She answered through the pain in her lungs. The Gardener cycle was beside her and ramming her. They were nearing the finish line.

"What I'd give to kill him right now." She muttered but instead, she just used a spike to flatten his tire and sped up. Once she crossed it, the crowds roared and they seem to have forgotten that she inhaled the toxins. She can barely hear what they were saying and she hadn't realized that they've already handed her the trophy until she keeled over and puked out blood.

"CELESTE!" She heard someone yell for her. Celeste painfully turned her head and saw Levi catch her. She felt something pierce her neck and she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

**AN: Sorry for the very late update! I have a lot of projects that I'm trying to work on and I am always tired so sorry if this chapter sucks. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and thanks to those who will review, favourite and follow this story! Firework out!**


	36. Chapter 35: Interrogations and a Tragedy

**AN: Yosh…Chapter XXXV! After a couple more chapters, we're done with The Future Arc. Sorry if my updates are a bit laggy but projects are being dumped at me left and right (I hate our new curriculum; it makes our grades project based and makes me speak in front more often than I usually have to and I do not like that because I have a bad case of stage fright), now my laptop's broken so I'm sharing the PC with my bro plus my 12 year old cousin got me to watch Elfen Lied with her (Read the manga, cried at the end). I do not approve of her watching that but it's so awesome that we can't resist. Anyways, I give you peeps Chapter XXXV of Link through Time. I do hope you enjoy this chapter and Thanks to those who reviewed and will review.**

* * *

**CHAPTER XXXV:**

**INTERROGATIONS AND A TRAGEDY**

Levi carried Celeste to her room with Petra and the others behind him. They managed to stabilize her by administering the antidote to her and remove the bullet from her so they were given the clearance to bring her home. The next race won't happen until April 19th; that should be enough for her to recover. He set the girl on her bed and covered her with her blankets after taking her jacket and her boots off. Petra walked in and sat beside Levi.

"How is she?" Petra asked worriedly.

"Feverish but no doubt she'll make it." He answered emotionlessly but his eyes show the worry he holds. Petra ran her fingers through her daughter's hair. There was still a bit of blood around her face and she wiped it off with a wet cloth.

"I guess I was wrong. Even with the Titans gone, it's still a dangerous world." She remarked. Levi held his wife's hand and kissed it.

"If there's one thing I know is that Celeste won't stop fighting to get what she wants." He told her. Petra leaned into him as they sat there waiting for their daughter to wake up. At that moment, Damon entered the room.

"Hey, you both should get some rest." He told them. "She'll be feverish for a couple of days."

"No. We're fine. Thank you." Petra said. Damon lingered and checked the girl's fever and pulse.

"I think it's time for her to retire. She's getting too many enemies." He told them. He knew that he can't full well force her to retire but since they're her parents he was hoping that they'd make the decision for her.

"Retire? Why?"

"Racing is getting too dangerous for her and she's obviously having a hard time coping with the changes and adjusting to how they go now. I think it's in her best interest to retire after the Grand Circuit." Damon explained. Just then, Celeste opened her eyes, having heard what was suggested.

"What?" She weakly muttered.

"I'll leave it to you both then." He said before leaving the room.

"What does he mean retire?" She asked her parents. Petra held her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Celeste, your uncle suggested that you retire now. He has a point; racing is too dangerous for you." Levi answered for Petra.

"Don't be such a hypocrite, fighting Titans is dangerous too and yet you don't force me to retire." She defiantly said before wincing at the pain in her chest and coughing violently.

"We know that but damn it we'd rather some titan eats you than crashing your fucking car or being murdered by someone else because that would be the most pathetic death a soldier would receive. Dying in the field; that's what your grandmother did **(1)**; that's how I would like to die if I don't die an old woman and frankly, that's how I would like you to die." Petra told her. Her eyes widened; her mother never told her anything about how her grandmother died and she never cared to ask. She never thought that her grandmother was a legionnaire as well.

"I can't do that. I can't retire. Not now. I love racing." She said as she felt her eyes tear up and she began coughing violently again.

"Shh...don't talk now. Just rest. We'll be here, sweetie." Petra told her. Slowly, Celeste closed her eyes once more and fell asleep. For the rest of the night, Levi and Petra stayed beside her. Up to the point that they fell asleep there.

The next day, Levi woke up when he felt someone frantically shaking him.

"What?" He asked, annoyed.

"Celeste is missing." Petra reported. That felt like a bucket of ice cold water was dumped on him. He looked around and Celeste wasn't in her bed. He stood up and they both left the room. Rex was making coffee in the kitchen.

"Good Morning." He greeted.

"Rex, have you seen Celeste?" Petra worriedly asked.

"No. But I heard from Uncle that you guys might force her to retire so she's most likely blowing off Steam. Check the building gym on the 63rd floor. No one should be there at this time." He answered as he drank his coffee. Petra turned to Levi with a stern look on her face.

"Go talk to her, Levi. It's time you do." Petra told him. He begrudgingly walked up to the elevator and pressed the button to the 63rd floor. When he arrived at the gym, he immediately saw Celeste brutalizing a punching bag while her hands are covered in ice. She was wearing track pants and a grey shirt. He stood there in silence until Celeste let out a cry of anger and the punching bag flew to the opposite side of the room.

"What the fuck are you doing, you brat?" Levi angrily asked. She should be recovering, not down here punching the shit out of bags.

"I'm blowing off some steam, old man. Ever tried it? Might help get that stick off your ass." She answered as she moved to another bag, her hair stuck to her face and her shirt was drenched in sweat.

"You're filthy. Go take a shower." He ordered her. Celeste gave the bag a hard punch.

"Really? I'm about to go into forced retirement and you want to stop me from doing this too?"

"I'm not stopping you from anything, you brat. You need to recover if you want to us to let you compete in the Grand Circuit." Levi said in annoyance. When Celeste was born, he was expecting her to grow up to be a sweet and gentle person like her mother. How wrong he was; instead she grew up to be like him. But that's not stopping him from loving and caring for her the way a father should. Celeste suddenly started coughing violently and she was about to fall. Luckily, he was able to catch her.

"Damn it. I don't want to retire yet." She said, the frustration clear in her voice. Levi helped her up but he didn't let her go.

"I know it's hard to stop doing what you love but you have to understand that we're doing this for your own safety. After the next race, you're retiring. We know you're old enough to make your own decisions but this time, we're going to make this one for you."

Celeste hated to admit it but he was right; it's high time she retire. After this circuit, she's retiring. She'll be returning to the past soon and should she die there and not erased from this history, the people will think she just dropped off from the face of the Earth.

"You're filthy. Let's head back. Take a shower." Levi told her as he forced her to walk to the direction of the elevator. When they got back upstairs, Celeste immediately took a shower. Just as she got out back to the living room, someone knocked on the door. Janine opened it and saw Chief Rogers with a man. It didn't take long before they realized that it was the Tiger.

"Jan, get away from the door. Come here." She told her. Janine immediately walked up to her and Uncle Federico made him come in.

"Now, I know you didn't arrest him but I got you clearance to interrogate him."

"Well, this is going to be fun. Take him to the spare room over there." She told him. Once the chief left, she turned to the kids.

"Go to the kitchen but I want you guys to close your eyes, cover your ears and softly sing 'Lilium' until I come out and call for you, alright?" Celeste requested. Lilium was the theme song of Elfen Lied. It was a Gregorian chant in Ecclesiastical Latin and they all memorized it. When she beat up the perp of the rape – murder case, she made them do the same thing she's asking of them now. The three kids stalked off to the kitchen immediately. Celeste walked up to the room were the Tiger was cuffed to a chair. The Chief gave her a nod before leaving. The man looked at her as she sat across from him.

"You're not going to get anything from me." He said defiantly. "Who'd have thought you're also a cop?"

"I'm not a cop. So, whatever I do to you, you can't report it as police brutality. Tell me your name." Celeste said.

"Johnson. Lance Johnson."

"Mhmm…Lance Johnson; a grunt of the Blue Tigers. Let me ask you something; you think the Tiger boss would give a damn about what would happen to you?"

He didn't or rather couldn't answer.

"I'll answer for you; he won't. Trust me; he'd be happy to use you as a scapegoat. I know underground crime better than anyone in the family. My real father told me how everything goes. Do you know how he knows that? He himself was a higher up in underground crime before he went legit." Celeste told him. Johnson chuckled before speaking up again.

"Let-let me guess; he went legit for your mom?"

"No. He was already legit before he met her. But enough about that." Celeste declared before turning on the recorder. "Are you in league with the Gardeners?"

He didn't answer so she punched him. She punched him so hard, one of this teeth went flying. She raised her eyebrow in impression; her mom told her that when her dad beat Eren up, his tooth went flying too. But it grew back. Unlike this poor Son of a Bitch.

"Did you kill Clara and Raphael Knight?" She asked him. Another punch went his way when he didn't answer. Blood from his face went to her knuckles.

"I'll ask again before more pain comes your way. You were arrested on possession charges; that's enough to lock you up. But we're willing to cut a deal with you; tell me what I want to know, you go to Witness Protection. Anyways, some asshat rings my doorbell, telling me my parents were murdered 4 years ago. Did you kill Clara and Raphael Knight? Did the Gardeners order it?"

He didn't answer. Celeste rubbed her face and punched. His blood went to her face this time. She wiped it but instead it spread but she didn't care. She turned her watch face twice.

"Still won't answer? I don't want to but I can do this all night and keep you alive." Celeste said before shooting his leg. He howled in pain but showed no sign of surrender. Celeste stuck a finger in the bullet wound making him scream in pain yet again. Celeste took delight in his screams.

"Just tell me and this'll all be over." She told him. He groaned in pain before speaking up.

"I don't know if we killed your parents. But-but we are in leagues with Gardener. The-the boss, he has this ledger. Keeps all his transactions there. Arrangements and payments and what the job was. He keeps it in his safe at the mansion. You get that, you take down Gardener and the cartel. Code is 4-5-0-1-4-6."

"Thank you. See how easy that was?" Celeste said as she turned the recorder off. Before leaving the room, she punched him one last time, knocking him out for good. She walked back to the living room and threw the recorder on the coffee table before heading for the kitchen. They were surprised at the amount of blood on Celeste's face. It was enough to think she killed the kid.

"The fuck happened in there?" Duncan asked.

Celeste entered the kitchen and saw that the kids followed her orders to the letter. She cleaned herself up before approaching them.

"Hey, you guys can stop now." She told them. They took their hands down and stopped singing as they opened their eyes. They followed Celeste back to the living room.

"Put him in witness protection." She told the Chief as she plopped down on the couch next to her mother. They all listened to the recording.

"So, how do we get this ledger?" Petra asked when they were finished listening to the recording.

"With great difficulty. Place is also a private prostitution den. Only the rich get in." The Chief explained.

"Attempt to go in there, I'll bash your faces in." Celeste warned Rex and Duncan, who were about to volunteer. It's amazing how a 19 year old can easily intimidate a 27 year old and a 23 year old man.

"Do you send someone in there?" Petra asked.

"Protocol mandates that we do, usually but when Cassandra was 12, she went to a boarding school in Houston. Her Physical Fitness Tests showed that she's actually very quick on her feet and good at sneaking and infiltration. With your permission, I'd send her in."

Celeste's body was racked with coughs. She coughed in a handkerchief and saw that there was a bit of blood in it. They all shook their heads.

"No. She's still recovering." Levi said sternly. "I'll go. I can get that ledger out of there."

Celeste's eyes widened; send her father, a former thug, in a prostitution den? Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Not happening on her watch.

"You're not going." She told him bluntly. "If I ain't going, you ain't going."

"Well, you're not going." Natalie said.

"Then, he's not going. Not on my watch." Celeste decided.

"I'll send someone in there, then." The Chief said before walking to the spare room. They may think that he's just sending someone else in but Celeste has a trick up her sleeve. A foolproof plan formed in her head the moment they said she's not going. Chief Rogers walked back out with the barely conscious Johnson.

"Is he okay? Is he even alive?" Damon asked.

"He's fine. I'll take him back to the station. Thank you for your time and your help." He said. Uncle Federico escorted him to the door while Petra made Celeste some coffee. While they were going about their own business, however, Celeste sent the Chief a message.

"_7:45. Parking lot. I'll be there."_

Nightfall came and while they were having dinner, Celeste executed her plan.

"Anyone want some water?" She asked. They all raised their hands. She went to the kitchen and put some powdered sleeping pills in the pitcher. The dose wasn't lethal. She walked back to the table and they drank the water from the pitcher. The three kids fell asleep on their chairs almost immediately.

"Celeste, what did you-"Natalie asked before they all fell asleep. Leaving a not, she grabbed a hoodie and her legion jacket as well as her sabres. She kissed her mom's temple and left. Heading to the parking lot, she got there on the dot. The Chief pulled up a while later and she got in the car.

"Drive to the mansion." She told him. Chief Rogers nodded and stepped on it/

"How did you change their minds?" He asked.

"I didn't. Made them go to sleep." She answered as Rogers drove. He chuckled and after a while, they arrived at the mansion.

"Park around the back. I'll keep you posted." Celeste said emotionlessly as she grabbed a walkie talkie.

"You may look a lot like your mother but you sure as hell talk like your father." He remarked as he parked around the back like Celeste instructed.

"I'll take that as a compliment." She answered with a small smile. She exited the car and walked up to the wall as she pulled her hood up. Creating an ice ladder, she scaled the wall and perched on top of it. Sentries weren't patrolling the area. Yet. She saw an open window and jumped from the wall. Using the pipe to her advantage, she climbed the 2nd floor window. She wasn't surprised at the sight; it was just some Tiger snoozing off with some hooker after give her the D.

"Fucking pricks." She muttered as she cautiously entered. During her boarding school days, Celeste was prided as the most nimble and quick on her feet during the PFTs. There was also a reason why Celeste didn't want her father to do this; she didn't trust him in this type of environment. Who knows what kind of unpleasant shit he would do? If memory serves, the boss' room should be on the top floor. She's been here before with her dad. She accompanied him to arrest the Tiger boss, Eric Stanton, before heading back to North Dakota at the time.

"Chief, I'm in. Making good progress, over." She said over the walkie talkie.

"Copy that, over."

Celeste quickly snuck around the place, hearing the moans of women getting paid for their bodies while doped up on Crystal Meth.

'Fucking whores; believing there's no better future for them. Should've stayed in school. Idiots for believing those rich pricks and their sweet nothings.' She thought as she quietly and quickly snuck up to the top floor. While she may sound like a hypocrite since she dropped out of school at 15, she believed that school was better than this. No one deserved this. Finally, she got to the top floor. She knew immediately that the boss' office was the big door in front of her. Pressing her ear for any sounds, she entered when she heard nothing. No one was there so she immediately approached the desk and the painting behind it. Taking it off, she saw the safe.

"Fucking predictable." Celeste muttered as she typed the code in. When she was able to open it, she took the huge ledger and put the painting back. Once she checked that it was the ledger, she radioed Chief Rogers.

"Yo, chief, I got it. I'm coming out now, over." She said as she walked to the window. She heard footsteps approaching so she opened it and went out, Closing it, she used an ice slide to get out of there. It melted almost immediately so no one would see it. When she was clear, she ran back to the car and got in.

"Chill, it's me. I have it." She said as she showed it to him. "Drive. Go."

Rogers immediately stepped on it.

"You're insane, kid. You're lucky we got clearance for this operation." He told her.

"Again, I'll take the insane part as a compliment." She answered. "Stop here."

He stopped the car at the abandoned parking lot.

"Alright, so what's in there?"

Celeste shrugged and opened it. They kept reading and it was a gold mind of Illegal drug Transactions and sabotages.

"They're records of transactions. Drugs, sabotages, it's all here. What the jobs were and how much the payments would be are here too. Apparently, Lewis Gardener's father was the one paying them all off and kept calling hits on me, Rex, Michael Bennett and Hannah Monroe. They all failed but he's targeting champions and promising racers."

When Celeste flipped the pages back, her eyes widened at the words written at the page she stopped at.

_March 27, 2024_

_Mission: Eliminate Clara and Raphael Knight. _

_Method: Sever brakes_

_Payment: $10,000,000_

_Client: Lloyd Gardener_

_SUCCESS_

"He-he killed them, Chief. Would it be enough evidence to arrest him?" She asked and he nodded.

"I'll do it. I have enough evidence to go in without a warrant. I don't care about procedure. I'm basically untouchable." Celeste decided as The Chief started driving again. After a while, they arrived at the huge building that said 'Gardener Motors'.

"Wait for me here. If there's a ruckus, call people in." Celeste told him as she grabbed a recorder.

"Of course. Pleasure doing business, Cassandra." He said as he held out his hand which Celeste shook in response before grabbing his handcuffs.

"Likewise. Try not to lose the ledger." She told him and he nodded. Celeste got off the car and entered the building. She approached the elevator and went to the top floor. Celeste immediately approached the secretary.

"Yeah, hey, hi, Cassandra Knight here. I need to see Lloyd Gardener." She said. The Secretary coldly looked at her.

"Yes. Mr. Gardener's been expecting you for days now." She answered as she stood up and led her to the door. She opened it and Celeste stepped inside. She saw a plump man in his late 40s wearing a black suit, sitting on a leather chair behind a desk. At first glance, one would think he is Lewis Gardener.

"Ah...Miss Knight, what brings you here?"

Celeste calmly took a deep breath before talking. She turned on the recorder in her back pocket.

"Funny you should ask that; you think I wouldn't find out? How you killed my parents? Sabotaged races? Called hits on me, Rex, Michael Bennett and Hannah Monroe?"

"I don't know what you mean by killing your parents. Last I checked they're alive and well." He said. Something inside Celeste snapped at that moment.

"I'm not talking about my real parents, you fat prick! I'm talking about Clara and Raphael Knight!"

He looked at her with a smug smirk on his face.

"You have proof that I killed them? As well as for your other accusations?" Lloyd Gardener asked.

"Oh, I have more than that. I have the entire ledger belonging to Eric Stanton of the Blue Tigers in the cops' hands. I saw every transaction you made with them; drugs, sabotage, hits on me and others, my parents' deaths, everything." Celeste answered with her own smug smile. The smile on his face gradually fell.

"I got you, didn't I? Your face says it all. You're guilty." She said.

"Your parents deserved it. They took away my business and raised you and your cousin to be my son's downfall. When you left, I thought my boy would finally have his chance yet again but then Rex Knight, Michael Bennett and Hannah Monroe waltzes in and takes your place, how can I not want them dead?" He said angrily.

"Oh...boohoo. That's life; you win some, you lose some. You lose, you try your best to win but you don't kill or try to kill innocent people to do so." She told him. "Lloyd Gardener, I am placing you under arrest for the murders of Clara and Raphael Knight, sabotages of races and attempted murder on me, Rex Knight, Michael Bennett and Hannah Monroe."

Gardener stood up and walked around his desk.

"I can't let you do that. I can't let you live now that you know the truth." He said. Celeste was expecting that he would pull a gun at her so she pulled her blue sabre out and blocked the bullet. She slipped due to her sudden movement, though and her sabres fell a bit out of her reach. Gardener pointed his gun at her as she slowly backed away.

"Last words?" Gardener asked her as he pointed his gun at her. Celeste felt the hilt of one of her sabre by her hand. Gardener was about to shoot her so she retaliated by grabbing her sabre, swinging it upward. She accidentally cut off his hand. Blood didn't squirt to her face since the sabre cauterized the wound upon impact. Gardener stared at the stump for a while before screaming and panicking. He was running backwards to the window.

"NO! STOP!" She yelled as she stood up and tried to grab him. But she was too late; Gardener fell out and fell to the ground, dead. Chief Rogers ran out of his car and looked up to her in shock. Celeste turned the recorder off and she sat on the desk chair, dropping her sabre. Tears were silently streaming down her face as Celeste asked herself one thing;

"What have I done?"

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**AN: WAHH! I am so sorry for updating later than usual! I hope this chapter is long enough to make up for it. Like I said; I have too many projects and my laptop's broken so I'm sharing the PC with 3 other people. Anyways, here's what the number means; **

**1 – I have this headcanon where Petra's mother was also a legionnaire and she was Petra's main inspiration for joining the Scouting Legion. She died in an Expedition outside of Wall Maria when Petra was young (like 8 or 9). Celeste didn't know much about her grandmother so she was surprised.**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Thanks to those who will review, favourite or follow!**


	37. Chapter 36: A day of Problems

**AN: ALRIGHT! CHAPTER XXXVI! Also known as the chapter that Mizuki00 has been waiting for (but shh…that's a secret between me and said person)! Also known as the chapter where I realize that I just unlocked a new alternate ending! That's right! New alternate ending people! Takes place before the Forgotten Arc started. But that's my secret. But of course I need the approval of the masses before I start that so PM me your votes. Anyways, Thanks to those who reviewed, favourited or followed and I hope you guys enjoy this!**

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**CHAPTER XXXVI:**

**A DAY OF PROBLEMS**

Back at the Knight Industries Penthouse, Petra stirred from slumber. Her neck hurts and she was having a massive headache.

'What the – last thing I remember was the water.' She thought to herself. Looking around, she saw that everyone was asleep at the table but there was no sign of Celeste. But there was a note in front of her. She read it immediately.

'_Met up with the Chief. I'm sorry for disobeying a direct order, but I have to.'_

"Damn it, Celeste." Petra mumbled. "Get up!"

She started hitting Levi immediately as the others slowly woke up.

"What happened?" Federico asked as he rubbed his head.

"I don't remember." Duncan answered.

"I can't either. Last thing I remember was drinking water." Janine said.

"Water?" Andrea mumbled in a daze.

"That's it! Celeste most likely drugged us!" Andrew declared.

"But why?" Rex asked.

"To go after the Tigers for the ledger." Levi replied as he read Celeste's note. He was going to kill that shitty brat when he finds her. Just then, Damon called for them.

"Hey, check this out!"

They all rushed to the living room and saw the TV turned on to the news. Petra almost fainted at the current report.

'_Cassandra Knight suspected for murder.'_

"We got to get there fast. Kids, stay here and lock the doors." Rex said. They nodded and they ran out of the penthouse, got in a car and drove to the Gardener Motors building. There were cops, reporters and ambulances around the place.

"CHIEF!" Natalie yelled. The chief turned around and ran towards them.

"She's in shock. I can only let the parents go through. I'm sorry." He explained as he lifted the yellow tape up. Petra and Levi followed Chief Rogers to his car. Inside, Celeste was lying on the reclined chair with her arm covering her eyes. Rogers cautiously opened the door and Petra approached the girl.

"Celeste?" She called. Celeste didn't respond so Levi gently yanked her arm away from her eyes. They could tell that she was done cry and now she's just in plain shock. He gently pulled her up so she sitting down.

"Celeste, what happened?" He asked but she just shook her head. Her face showed anger at herself but her eyes showed extreme guilt.

"Talk to us, please." Petra requested.

"It was an accident." She answered. Petra turned to the chief.

"Was it?"

"Yes, it is. Self-defense, actually. According to the record she took, Gardener started shooting at her the moment he confessed to killing her adoptive parents. I'll leave you both to comfort her." He said before walking away.

"It felt so different." Celeste muttered. Petra held her hand tightly to let her know that she was there.

"What does, angel?"

"Killing Titans and killing a person. It feels so different." She answered. Levi knows how she feels; when he made his first kill as a thug, he had to do everything he could so he wouldn't be a vomiting mess. When he made his first Titan kill, it felt very different. He patted her head to let her know that he knew how it feels.

"Why did you go, Celeste?" Petra asked as she cupped her cheeks. They were so cold. It was almost as if the person before them was a walking, talking corpse. They pitied her. Celeste looked at them with tears in her lifeless eyes.

"I-I'm sorry. I-I just-I just had to know. I had to know if he killed them." She answered as the tears fell down her eyes. Petra pulled her into a hug as sobs racked the 19 year old's body.

"Let's go home." Levi told her. Only then did he realize that Celeste had fallen asleep in Petra's arms. He moved to take her from Petra. Lifting her up, they walked back to the others and loaded her in the car before driving back home.

2 days after the incident, Celeste bolted from her bed. She had another nightmare about IT. Not the Stephen King movie, the incident. It was already daylight and they still haven't left Las Vegas because doctors have decided that she wasn't fit for travel yet. They can leave now, though. Celeste took a deep sigh and rubbed her eyes.

"Are you okay?" A sleepy voice asked. Turning to her right, Celeste saw her mother there. She and Levi had been alternating on staying with her for comfort. It was Petra's turn last night.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Getting up now. You sleep until we have to leave." She answered as she got up. Petra stayed in bed while Celeste took a shower and changed her clothes before walking to the kitchen. No one was awake yet. Celeste fixed herself some coffee. She's not hungry nor was she in the mood to explore Vegas so she settled for video gaming at 6:30 AM. It's not like she hasn't done if before anyways. Eventually, the others got up. They did their best to skirt around the incident so she won't be reminded of it. It's probably for the best since the last time Federico tried to talk to her about it, she flipped out and became inconsolable to the point that they had to tranquilize her. It worried them; the old Celeste was never mentally unstable. Neither was the Celeste Levi and Petra first met. All of a sudden, they heard a helicopter flying over the building.

"What the fuck?" Celeste asked as she walked up to the window and opened the blinds. Their eyes widened as they saw a lot of Military Choppers and a huge Anomaly in the desert near the city.

"A black anomaly. Something's coming through." Celeste said. The moment she said that, 4 15 meter class Titans came through.

"HOLY SHIT!" Duncan yelled out. Levi gritted his teeth. Now, he wished he brought their gear. He looked to Celeste and saw her running out to her room in full gear.

"You didn't think I was the type to come prepared, did you?" She asked as she stepped out the balcony. Among all the members of the Spec Ops Squad, Celeste was the fastest in putting her gear on. She looked at her right hand and was about to bring it towards her mouth when Petra moved to stop her.

"Don't." She warned Celeste. Celeste had her doubts that she would make it to the area before the Titans get into the city.

"We don't have much time!" Celeste argued. Just then, an explosion was heard as a chopper went down.

"You can't turn here!" Levi told her. There are too many risks.

"I may have a way. I'll buy you time. Get your gears in my room." She said. They reluctantly agreed, seeing her point.

"Be careful. And come back alive. That's an order, soldier." Levi said. Celeste nodded before putting her Legion jacket on.

"Pack your things. We're leaving after this." She told them. Then, she jumped off the balcony and latched onto a building. The closer she got there, she saw soldiers shooting at the Titans. She immediately approached them.

"DON'T! STOP! CALL FOR A RETREAT! You can't take them out that way!" Celeste warned them.

"Then, how? Not even our choppers could take them out!" The Squad Captain said.

"Leave that to me! Focus on crowd control! Do not let anyone get here! Go!" She ordered. He nodded and his eyes widened. Celeste turned around just in time to get grabbed by a Titan. Her arms were free, which were holding her swords so she cut the Titan's hand off. Celeste immediately latched onto its back, ran up to the nape and sliced it. The Titan fell so she moved on to another one. She easily out maneuvered it when it tried to take a bite at her. She missed her chance at its nape and grabbed her. Celeste heard a sickening crunch and felt pain shoot up her right arm. She realized that it was broken. Suddenly, it dropped her and she was plummeting to the ground. She was sure that was going to be her end until someone caught her and they crashed into an abandoned building. Shaking the blurriness from her vision away, Celeste saw her father looking down on her.

"How's your arm?" He asked as he moved away from her. Celeste sat up just as Petra barreled in. They were both wearing their 3D Gears. They all looked down to see her arm steaming.

"Buy me time until I'm well enough will you? And save some for me." She requested. They nodded and left. Celeste waited for 30 minutes before joining them. Granted her arm was still steaming but it was well enough for a fight. There was only one Titan left and from the looks of it, her parents were having difficulty with it.

"Mom! Dad!" She yelled for them. They perched at a building away from the Titan's line of sight.

"This Titan has some intelligence to it." Petra said in frustration.

"Yeah? Too bad we can't bring it back to Hanji for experimentation, then." Celeste joked.

"Alright. Petra, you distract it. Cut its tendons, do what you can to slow it down but don't get eaten. Celeste, sync with me until we get to the nape." Levi said. They both nodded. Petra went on ahead of them, zipping through the Titan's feet but it was a bit smart so she can barely make any type of damage. Celeste and Levi went on and latched onto the Titan's back. They both did a spinning attack on its back. For months, Levi and Celeste practiced synching with one another. It always resulted in one of them getting dangerously close to the other but thankfully, they haven't injured each other yet. Finally, they both reached the nape and sliced it. It fell to the ground, dead. Its body started evaporating soon after. Just then, Celeste's car pulled up and Rex came out.

"Come on, let's go before the authorities get here." He said. They got in the car and drove out of Nevada immediately. Their things were packed up and they took their gears off.

"Are you okay?" Rex asked. Celeste who was sitting in the backseat with Levi and Petra was holding her steaming arm, waiting for it to heal itself.

"I'm fine." She answered before passing out due to exhaustion.

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**AN: ALRIGHT! I'm beat! Please leave your votes if you want the new Alternate ending in the reviews. I hope you guys enjoyed this and Thanks to those who will review, favourite or follow this story!**


	38. Chapter 37: Origins

**AN: WOOOOOHOOOO! THE POWER! I CAN FEEL IT! Ooops…sorry about that the power thing but we just changed our Internet service provider and it is super faster than the previous one we had. Anyways, here we are at Chapter XXXVII! I hope you guys enjoyed the previous chapter. Anyways, in this Chapter, the origins of the Anomalies will be told. I hope readers will enjoy this chapter and Thanks to those who reviewed, favourited and followed. I now give you Chapter XXXVII of Link through Time.**

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**Chapter XXXVII:**

**Origins**

Hours later, Celeste woke up in her car, clutching her arm. Looking down at it, she saw that it was no longer steaming.

"Where are we?" She asked.

"We're nearing Houston." Rex answered as he drove.

"What happened?" She asked as she transferred to the front seat, leaving her parents to sleep peacefully at the back seat.

"Anomaly. You fought a Titan. I think you broke your arm but it was steaming earlier." He replied.

"I'll tell you where the steaming part comes from later." She said. After a while, they finally arrived in Houston and to their ranch mansion there. They unpacked their things before meeting up in the living room. They were watching the news about the Titans in Las Vegas.

"Jesus Christ, they're passing through as well." Celeste said in frustration.

"I'm assuming those are the Titans you risk your lives fighting in the past." Damon said.

"You assumed right, then." Petra said.

"How come the Army has a hard time defeating them?" Andrew asked. Celeste looked at her parents as if asking for permission to tell them. They were still her commanding officers and it was forbidden to share sensitive information to civilians. Aside from that, it was also information that would make people realize that the history they knew about could possibly be a lie and change how humanity would look at it. Levi nodded, seeing as they seem to be trustworthy.

"Titans have only one weakness; the nape of the neck. Any hits in other body parts would only steam and regenerate." She explained.

"Your arm; it was broken earlier. Then it was steaming. Why?" Rex asked. She hesitated before answering.

"Okay. Back there, I have a Squad member named Eren. When Eren was young, his dad experimented on him, used a serum. It allowed him to turn into a Titan. The Scouting Legion and Eren himself first found out about his…ability 19 years ago, when he was only 15. His left arm and right leg was eaten by a Titan. When he emerged out of his Titan body, they completely regenerated. If it wasn't for Dad, the Military Police would've killed him but thanks to his…for a lack of a better word, rough intervention, Eren was handed to the Scouting Legion to serve humanity's cause. Now, one of the scientists in the Legion, Hanji, did the same treatment to me. Eren's blood now carries that serum so when Hanji injected his blood to me, the serum carried over too. We're what the people call 'Titan Shifters'. I can turn into a Titan too. With that said, any injuries inflicted on me would regenerate."

"Can you show us?" Janine requested. Celeste saw this coming; the girl has always been a skeptic. She looked at the adults and they approved, no doubt curious about Celeste's abilities. With a sigh, Celeste held her arm out.

"Mom, hold my arm. Dad, break it. Don't bite it or cut it or I'll turn into a Titan." She said. With great reluctance, Petra held her arm and Levi kicked it so hard, the bone came out. Celeste let out a wail of pain. Almost immediately, her arm started steaming and the bone slowly started returning.

"I can't turn into a Titan here. Otherwise, the military would try to capture me." Celeste told them. They heard a knock on the door. Celeste wore her jacket immediately. It was enough to conceal the steaming. She threw one of her sabers to Levi and she cautiously approached the door while Levi stayed by the living room. Celeste opened her saber and opened the door, preparing to swing it.

"Whoa, relax! We're not here to hurt you." A male voice said as he held his gun out. He had blonde hair and blue eyes and he was wearing a US Army suit.

"That's kind of hard to believe when there's a gun shoved in front of my face." Celeste retorted. At that moment, the blonde man put his gun away as a woman with black hair and black eyes approached her.

"Stand down, Captain. Hello, Miss Knight. I'm Major Victoria Whittaker. This here is my associate, Captain Thomas Jackson. We're from the US Army Science Department." She said.

"What do you want?" Celeste asked them.

"US Army Science Department?" Uncle Federico asked as he walked in. Federico fought in the Gulf War in the 90s and was discharged as a Commander. He knew Victoria Whittaker and she had a very smart brain so it was no surprise that she went to the Science Department after the war.

"Commander Knight." The Major said as Uncle Federico stopped in front of her.

"Major Whittaker. What brings you by?" He asked.

"Your niece. I know she knows about that black portal. And the things that went through it. It would've been all over the news that the famous Cassandra Knight knew exactly how to take those things down if it wasn't for our intervention." She answered. A wave of paranoia overcame Celeste.

"Alright, well thanks then. Get out of here. I ain't talking to Military dogs like you guys about unexplainable things." She said as she tried to shut the door. Jackson held his hand out and stopped it.

"Wait, don't you want to know the origins of it? We have your answers." He said. Celeste cautiously opened the door yet again and gestured for them to come in. When they settled in the living room, Captain Jackson set a folder in front of Celeste.

"The hell is this?"

"Read it and find out." The Major said. Celeste picked it up and examined it. It had the United States seal in it with a red stamp that says 'Top Secret' and a black stamp that said 'Project Anomaly'.

"Project Anomaly?" Petra muttered as Celeste opened the folder and read it aloud.

"'In June of 2005, Army Scientist Captain Victoria Whittaker proposed her project in search of new weapons for the US Army. This project was given approval and dubbed as the 'Project Anomaly'. Its purpose is to travel through time in search of new weapons. A machine that was releases portals called 'Anomalies' was completed in June of 2009 and put to the test on the same day. Soldiers were sent into these Anomalies and were transported to the past, as they claimed via communicator. Unfortunately, due to mysterious circumstances, these soldiers were killed. Only 2 made it back but died of their injuries soon after. One of them was half eaten, missing both arms and a leg. At the same time one of the many Anomalies that opened up, the North Dakota Anomaly, spiraled out of control. This resulted in variations of the Anomalies to be created; a Black Anomaly which transports a person to the future of their choosing; a Jagged Black Anomaly, which takes one to the past of their choosing; a Blue Anomaly, which brings one to an event in their life that they wish to see and a Red Anomaly; the most dangerous anomaly as it brings a person to a terrifying alternate timeline of their life. In the same year, Project Anomaly was shut down but the North Dakota gate was never closed. Project Anomaly was restarted in May of 2024 when someone crossed the North Dakota gate.'"

"We sensed someone crossing the North Dakota gate 4 years ago. Took a while, but we traced where you were." Captain Jackson proudly declared. Celeste angrily stood up.

"June of 2009 was the time my adoptive parents found me. You obviously know I came from the year 870. Now let me get this straight; it was your fuck up that destroyed my life. Your fuck up tore me away from my real family. I love this family, I really do. I love my real parents as well. You took me from them. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you where you stand!" She demanded as she lunged at the Major but she was held back by Levi.

"Don't. Go to your room. Now!" He ordered. Celeste angrily marched off to her room and slammed the door. Taking a shower, she collapsed on her bed, feeling too drained to do anything else. She was knocked out of her stupor when someone entered her room.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"Are you alright?" A familiar male voice asked. Celeste took the towel off her face and saw Captain Jackson sitting on her bed.

"GET THE FUCK OUT!" She yelled at him before throwing a pillow at him which he easily dodged.

"Look, I just wanted to say 'Sorry'. On behalf of everyone involved in the Anomaly Project." He said as he held his hands up.

"Sorry? You took 15 years of my life away and all you say is sorry?"

"Look, believe me. If we could take it all back, we would." The Captain said. "The Major and I are leaving and she would like to talk to you before we go."

Celeste walked past him and back down the stairs to the living room. She escorted them to the front door.

"For what it's worth, I truly am sorry. If there's anything we can do to make it up to you-"

"Shut the gates. All of them. You can't close the North Dakota gate but drop the project. It's best if you don't know what really happened in the past and we're not ready for anything futuristic or ahead of this time. You want to make it up to me? Shut the gates." Celeste said. The Major reluctantly nodded and they left. Celeste shut the door before walking inside.

"Well, at least we know where these things came from." Andrea said.

"Yeah." She said as she headed back upstairs.

'But it won't change a thing.' Celeste added in her mind as she entered her room and fell asleep.

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**AN: And that is Chapter XXXVII! I hope that cleared up any questions about the Anomaly for you guys. Anyways, I had a fun day today; it's going to be my 16****th**** birthday on the 23****rd**** and we celebrated early because it's my exams at that time. My Aunt got me an Attack on Titan Scouting Legion watch as a birthday gift and I was yelling and crying out of happiness in the restaurant. But that aside; I hope you guys enjoyed this Chapter and Thanks to those who will review.**


	39. Chapter 38: Ailment Assets

**AN: WOOHOO! I'm 16 now! My birthday was 2 days ago, our exams our over and now my brother is in the hospital with Dengue fever. I'm also on break so expect more updates! Anyways, thanks to those who reviewed and gave me an early birthday greeting on my last update. I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter and that you guys enjoy this one. In this chapter, you guys will see a new side of Celeste and also a new asset for her. I give you guys the 38****th**** Chapter of Link through Time!**

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**CHAPTER XXXVIII:**

**AILMENT ASSETS**

The next day, the entire Knight Family was having lunch in the kitchen. Well, everyone except…

"Where's Celeste?" Rex asked.

"Sleeping in, most likely. Poor kid's had enough for one day yesterday." Aunt Natalie answered.

"It's 1:30 PM. She never sleeps until this late." Duncan reminded her. While Celeste wasn't really an early bird, unless it's for training before races or school, she usually wakes up at 11:30 AM or 12 PM, regardless of what time she slept the night before.

"I should go check on her." Petra volunteered before standing up and heading upstairs. When she entered Celeste's room, all she saw was Celeste's curled up body in bed under the covers.

"Celeste? Are you okay?" She asked. All she heard in reply was a groan. Petra sat beside her and put her hand on the girl's forehead. Her eyes widened the size of dinner plates; her temperature was so hot, it was enough to fry an egg on it.

"You're burning up." She said. Finally, Celeste faced her and opened her eyes.

"I don't feel too good. My head hurts." She mumbled.

"Yeah. I think you have a fever. I'll get something to bring it down." She said before running downstairs.

"Yo, how is she?" Rex asked.

"She has a fever. I'm getting something to bring it down." Petra said as she walked to the kitchen to get a clean, wet cloth.

"Well, Aunt Natalie took the kids somewhere and dad, Duncan, Uncle Damon have to go to the tracks so none of us will be back until late at night. Will you guys be alright?" He asked.

"Yes, we will be. Thank you." Petra answered.

"Right. Well, I should warn you. When she's sick, she's extremely needy and clingy so when you're out of the room, expect her yelling for you every now and then. Also, when her nose bleeds just make her lie back. Oh, and since she's sick you're going to have to force her to eat and drink her medicine. She doesn't like eating when she's sick because she throws up sometimes. And she's stubborn as fuck. Like 10 times worse." Rex explained. Celeste seems to be quite a handful when she's sick.

"Anything else?" Petra asked him. He looked at his watch before answering.

"Count to 5."

Petra started counting as he was walking away.

"1…2…3…4…5."

"MOM!"

"Like clockwork. When you're out of the room, she'll do that every 5 minutes." Rex said as he walked out the door. Petra immediately rushed upstairs before another 5 minutes could pass and Celeste would yell for her again. When she entered the room, Celeste was trying to crawl out of bed. Thankfully, she hasn't fallen yet so Petra managed to make her stay in bed. She put the cloth on the girl's forehead. Then, she realized that Celeste hasn't eaten anything yet.

"Sweetie, stay here. I'll get you something to eat." Petra told her but just as she was about to get up, she felt a hand on her wrist.

"MOMMY, STAY WITH ME!" Celeste begged as she hugged her mother around her waist and nuzzled her face there. Petra had to stop herself from squealing at her cuteness. She wrapped her arms around Celeste and gently pried her away from her before setting her back in bed.

"Okay, I'll stay with you for a while." She said as she placed the cloth on the girl's forehead once more. Eventually, Celeste fell asleep again.

"Hey, where the fuck is everyone?" A familiar voice reached her ears. Just then, Levi entered the room.

"What's wrong with her?" He asked as he approached.

"Fever." She answered. "Will you stay with her so I can get her some food?"

Upon hearing her request, Levi immediately nodded and she left him alone with Celeste. 3 minutes later, she woke up.

"Mom?" She weakly called out.

"Your mother got you something to eat." Levi told her as she coughed.

"I'm not hungry. Mom said she'll stay with me." She mumbled. Levi sighed in annoyance. He didn't want to catch whatever germs or sickness she has but he forced himself to hold her hand.

"She'll be back, so quit your whining will you?" Levi snapped at her.

"MOM, I don't want Dad here! He's being a mean jerk!" She forced herself to yell out.

"You shitty brat, just get some rest, will you?" He told her. Just then, Petra entered with a bowl of soup and some tea for Celeste. She had an annoyed look on her face. Seriously, she leaves for approximately 10 minutes and they're at each others' throats already.

"Celeste, you should eat." She said.

"I'm not hungry and I don't like tea." Celeste snapped.

"I guess he wasn't kidding." Petra said, thinking back to what Rex said earlier. Celeste had her moments of stubbornness but most of the time, she was usually a good, obedient soldier who'd, sometimes, follow orders without question. Shit. Rex was serious when he said her stubbornness was 10 times worse.

"Levi, help me. Sit her up, will you? Celeste, I will not let you sleep unless you eat." Petra threatened her. The 19 year old moaned in annoyance.

"I throw up when I eat and when I throw up, I cry."

"Play through the pain, Celeste." Levi said as he patted her back. The moment Celeste opened her mouth to talk, Petra shoved a spoonful of soup in her mouth, leading to Levi clamping her mouth shut.

"Reminds you of Ackerman when she's sick, doesn't she?" He pointed out.

"Yeah. Too bad we don't have Eren or Armin to help." She answered. When they realized that Celeste swallowed it, Levi let her go.

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Petra said. Celeste glared at them in response. Petra carried on feeding her with a bit of difficulty. After that, they forced her to drink the tea and the medicine she had in her nightstand.

"You can rest now, sweetheart." Petra said. Then, the clingy part showed; Celeste wrapped her arms around Petra's waist again and snuggled her face there before falling asleep.

"What's wrong with her?" Levi asked.

"Apparently, Rex said that she becomes clingy when she's sick." Petra answered. Levi pried Celeste from Petra and set her on the bed.

"So, what's this about you being mean again?" Petra asked him with a teasing smile. God, her smile was so beautiful.

"Just her being an uncooperative brat, that's all." He answered, to which she replied with a scoff. He watched as his wife ran her fingers through their daughter's hair and comfort her whenever she'd complain that her head hurts too much. He was amazed by how cut out Petra was to be a mother, even after all her years in the Legion. Most people with their years would be too hardened and traumatized to even think about starting a family. Even he was. But when Celeste was born, he figured it would be a new lease on life. A chance to change his ways. Levi never really saw himself as a father but he was glad that he was blessed with a daughter. He was brought out of his musings when he heard Celeste scream.

"What is it, Celeste?" Petra asked. Just then, someone barged in the room, turning around they saw that it was Damon.

"MY BACK!" She yelled out.

"Your back?" She repeated. Damon approached them and turned Celeste around.

"I need you to calm down, Celeste."

"MY BACK HURTS!" She yelled. The way her voice sounded it was very obvious that she was in extreme pain.

"Petra, I need you to lift up her shirt." He ordered. Petra did so immediately and there were two small cuts in her back. Cuts that were getting larger by the second.

"DAD, WHAT'S GOING ON?" She asked Levi, who was holding her hand. He couldn't speak; he was too surprised by the cuts on her back.

"What's wrong with her?" He asked when he finally found his voice. Before Damon can answer, Celeste shrieked in pain and the next thing they knew was hitting the wall. There was a splatter of blood in all of them.

"What the hell was that?" They heard a voice ask as they sat up. Their eyes widened. The kids entered along with Natalie, Duncan and Rex.

On Celeste's back, sprouting from the cuts, were two large wings made of pure ice.

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**AN: Okay, sorry if it was rushed at the end but I have to be at the hospital anytime now to stay overnight with my brother and father there. Anyways, how did you guys like the ending and Celeste's clingy side? I hope you guys enjoyed this Chapter and Thanks to those who will review, favourite or follow this story!**


	40. Chapter 39: Wings and Plans

**AN: Hello! I know I promised more updates since I'm on break and I'm sorry if I'm lagging a bit. My laptop is still in the repair shop and I just spent half of it in the hospital, looking after my brother. Anyways, the ending of this chapter and the events of the next chapter came under the suggestion of a reviewer (who shall remain nameless. If he/she is reading this, you know who you are). So, I hope you guys enjoy it. Thanks to those who reviewed, favourited and followed! Now I give you Chapter XXXIX of Link through Time and Part 17 of 22 the Future Arc. This chapter is meant to be a filler before the big race so I hope you guys enjoy this!**

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**CHAPTER XXXIX:**

**WINGS AND PLANS**

"Oh my god! What the fuck came out of my back?" Celeste asked in a panic.

"Celeste, calm down but don't think of your ice." Damon said as he cautiously approached her.

"Wha-what's wrong with me? What's going on?" She asked.

"Nothing is wrong with you. You just grew wings of ice thanks to you watch. Now, I need you to calm your mind, alright. Go to sleep. And everything will be fine in the morning." He replied. Celeste weakly nodded and calmed herself down. Slowly, she felt her wings returning to her body and the cuts in her back being sealed in ice. Eventually, she fell asleep. One by one, they left the room and settled in the living room. The blood from earlier evaporated.

"Weren't you guys covered in blood earlier?" Andrew asked. He, the kids, Rex, Duncan and Aunt Natalie left the room earlier but not before seeing what came out of Celeste.

"Celeste is part titan. Titan blood evaporates." Petra answered (1).

"What's wrong with Celeste?" Andrea worriedly asked them.

"Nothing's wrong with her, Andrea. It's something you shouldn't concern yourselves with." Damon answered. "Go get some shut eye."

With that, the kids went upstairs to go to bed. Eventually, they did too.

The next morning, Petra decided to check on Celeste. She entered the room and almost screamed when she saw that Celeste wasn't in bed. She ran out of the room immediately where she bumped into Levi.

"Levi, Celeste is missing." She reported.

"No, she's not. The brat is outside with her cousins." He answered emotionlessly. Petra decided that she has to make him stop calling her a brat. No wonder their daughter thinks he's a mean jerk. Petra immediately went outside to see how Celeste was doing.

While Petra was off looking for her and panicking, Celeste was gallivanting in the roof with Rex and Duncan.

"Are you sure about this? I mean if something happens to you, your dad looks like the type of guy who can go bat shit crazy and kill us in 3 seconds." Duncan said.

"Of course I am. And don't be silly; my dad can go bat shit crazy and kill you in 1.5 seconds." She replied. She closed her eyes and thought of her wings. They sprouted immediately but they seem stiff.

"Crap. I can't make it move." She said. Rex immediately approached her and put a hand on the area of her back in between the wings.

"I think the roots of your wings might be melded to your back muscles. Focus on making your wings flap as strong as you can and maybe that'll do the trick."

Celeste nodded and did so. Eventually, she felt them moving. Looking down, she saw that she was a couple of inches away from the roof.

"Cool! I feel like one of those fairies from Sword Art Online's Alfheim Arc!" She exclaimed. She immediately decided to magnify the focus she was exerting to her wings.

Which may not have been the greatest decision of her life.

As you know, Celeste Ral is a lot of things; a champion racer, Humanity's 3rd strongest, baseball MVP of Houston's Blackwood Academy for Aspiring Racers…

Apparently, a fairy from Sword Art Online is not one of them…

"OH SHIT!" She yelled out as she flew in different directions around the manor's backyard. She almost hit a tree twice!

"Rex! Duncan! Help me!" She yelled out.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, CELESTE?" She heard Petra yell.

"Uh-oh." She muttered as she kept flying around. Most teenagers don't fear their dads. They fear their moms. It's an unwritten rule. Well, in Celeste's case, the rule is kinda moot. She's scared of the two of them. A soldier dad is one thing; a soldier mom is a freaking nightmare.

"CELESTE! Don't focus! Lose the wings! We'll catch you!" Duncan said. Oh, no. Celeste has heard that before.

"You said the same thing when we were bungee jumping! I broke my arm!" She yelled back.

"Either you trust us or you take a dunk in the pool!" Rex yelled back. Celeste decided that she would take the lesser of two evils in that. As she kept flying, she hoped she'd at least stay long enough on top of the pool for her to lose her focus. When she did, she shook her focus off.

And she dropped in the pool. Celeste emerged from it. Her wings were back inside her once more but the pool was freezing. She got off the pool and lay beside it.

"Oi, brat. Get inside before you catch a cold." Her dad told her as he looked down on her.

"Thanks for your concern, you shitty Captain. Oh, wait, maybe I should give you the title of shitty dad as well." Celeste muttered. Well, her dad is who he is. Can't expect him to be affectionate to a daughter he's never raised. But still, his lack of care and affection stung. She was raised in an emotionally available environment with an emotionally available dad. It was something she wasn't used to. Celeste forced herself to stand up immediately just as Petra walked up to her with a towel. With the hesitation in her eyes, it was obvious that she saw everything. And judging from the soft look in her eyes, it was clear that Celeste's sadness was showing.

"I'm going inside to change my clothes. Maybe change my sneakers as well." She said before walking away. Minutes later, she came downstairs with different clothes and new sneakers. She couldn't find her parents but judging from the semi loud whispering she heard when she passed by their room, they were arguing. About what…well, like her dad, Celeste is good at putting up facades and pretending that she doesn't give a rat's ass about what they're arguing about.

"Hey." A voice greeted her. Looking up, she saw that it was Rex.

"Hey. What's up?" She asked.

"The kids want to go to Six Flags. You want to come? It'll be fun. Bring your parents with you. Ride a roller coaster or the Ferris Wheel." He said.

"Quick question; which Six Flags?"

"That's what I kinda wanted to talk to you about; we're having problems on which one. We kinda want the Arlington Six Flags." Rex answered sheepishly.

"That's 3 and a half hours away." She said with an 'Are you fucking kidding me?' face.

"How about the San Antonio one?" He asked.

"That's almost 3 hours away but it has more rides. San Antonio it is then." She decided as she stood up.

"You bringing your mom and dad?" Rex asked.

"You want me to take my parents from the past over to San Antonio to an Amusement Park and possibly shove them in a roller coaster?" She asked him.

"Yes." He deadpanned.

"Okay then. It's not like they haven't lived in the fast lane before." She replied before turning to the second floor.

"MOM! DAD! WE'RE GOING SOMEWHERE!" She yelled out. Just then, Petra came out.

"Whe-where are we going?" She asked.

"San Antonio. Hurry up." Celeste answered gently this time. When Petra left, Celeste basically got a nosebleed.

"Is it me or did she look like they just had a quickie?"

Rex hesitated on answering that but the look on his face said it all.

"This going to be one awkward car ride." She remarked as she grabbed her coat.

* * *

**AN: Okay…how was the ending? I kinda got angsty in the middle of it. Anyways here's what the number means.**

**1 – I don't really know if that works for Shifters but I think it does.**

**Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned for Chapter XL. Thanks to those who will review!**


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